Trump Pardons Pro-Life Activists Jailed Under Biden: Report
On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced pardons for pro-life activists who had been imprisoned under the Biden Justice Department, as reported by a publication on Wednesday.
Two sources familiar with the situation told The Daily Wire earlier this week that addressing the situation of these imprisoned activists has become a top priority for Trump’s team. According to these sources, the pardons are expected to be issued within days.
The news comes just before the 52nd annual March for Life, a significant peaceful demonstration in Washington, D.C., aimed at raising awareness about the lives lost to abortion. As noted by the publication, Trump is set to address the rally via a pre-recorded video message.
On Monday, Trump signed a broad executive order granting full pardons to around 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot. This fulfilled a major campaign promise to tackle what he described as politically motivated prosecutions under the Biden administration. His actions have given hope to members of the pro-life community that he will similarly pardon those prosecuted under the Biden Justice Department’s application of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, according to The Daily Wire.
“I hope President Trump will shortly pardon the pro-life prisoners unjustly targeted & jailed by the Biden Administration,” Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley posted on “X” on Wednesday. “They deserve to be free.”
The Daily Signal reported on Thursday that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has reintroduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act.
“While President [Donald] Trump is stopping these outrageous prosecutions, we should ensure that no future administration has the ability to persecute Americans through unequal application of the law,” Lee told the outlet.
On Tuesday, Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, introduced a companion bill in the House. According to The Daily Wire, Roy emphasized the importance of leveraging Republican control of Congress and the White House to address this issue.
During his campaign, Trump frequently criticized the Biden Justice Department for targeting pro-lifers with what he called “outrageous charges.” He pledged on the campaign trail to “rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner who’s unjustly victimized by the Biden regime…so we can get them out of the gulags and back to their families where they belong.”
The pardons are expected to offer immediate relief to activists currently serving prison sentences, including Lauren Handy (57 months), John Hinshaw (21 months), Jonathan Darnell (34 months), Herb Geraghty (27 months), Jean Marshall (24 months), Joan Bell (27 months), Paulette Harlow (24 months), Bevelyn Williams (41 months), Heather Idoni (24 months), and Calvin Zastrow (6 months), according to the report.
The defendants were reportedly arrested, tried, and convicted for participating in pro-life protests in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Tennessee.
One notable protest in Washington, D.C., took place in October 2020, when activists gathered at the Surgi-Clinic—a late-term abortion facility. There, they sang hymns, prayed, linked arms at the staff entrance, and used ropes and chains to block interior doors. In Tennessee, pro-life Christians held a demonstration in March 2021 outside the Carafem Health Center in Mt. Juliet, where they sang, prayed, and encouraged women to reconsider their decisions regarding abortion.
Many of these individuals have already spent over a year in prison, with some facing additional months of incarceration. “I would love to be home with my family,” said Heather Idoni, 59, in September. “I would love to hold my new grandson.” Idoni received a two-year sentence for her involvement in the D.C. protest, with an additional eight months to be served concurrently for her participation in a Nashville protest, The Daily Wire reported.
The pardons may also provide relief to activists awaiting sentencing, such as 89-year-old Eva Edl. Edl, a survivor of a World War II-era Yugoslavian concentration camp, was convicted in Detroit on charges under the FACE Act and a felony conspiracy charge. She now faces the possibility of a prison sentence exceeding a decade.