Trump Preparing to Pardon Pro-Life Activists in Bold Strategic Move: Report
President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to pardon several pro-life activists who were imprisoned under the Biden administration’s enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The news, which was first reported by the Daily Wire, comes ahead of Trump’s video appearance at the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., set to take place Friday.
The pardons align with Trump’s broader efforts to address cases he believes were politically motivated. This week, Trump issued an executive order pardoning over 1,500 individuals prosecuted in connection with the events of Jan. 6., fulfilling a key campaign promise.
Calls from pro-life advocates to take similar action for activists targeted under the FACE Act appear to have influenced his latest move, The Post Millennial reports.
“I hope President Trump will shortly pardon the pro-life prisoners unjustly targeted & jailed by the Biden Administration,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) wrote in an X post.
Pro-life activists and conservative lawmakers have long criticized the Biden administration’s use of the FACE Act, which protects access to abortion clinics, accusing it of unfairly targeting anti-abortion protesters.
Several conservative lawmakers have taken legislative action against the FACE Act. On Thursday, Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) reintroduced a bill to repeal the law entirely, according to The Post Millennial.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced a companion bill earlier this week.
“Americans just spent the last four years being targeted by a weaponized justice system,” he said in a press release, as noted by LifeNews.
“The FACE Act was one of the primary weapons of abuse — being used to politically target, arrest, and jail pro-life Americans for speaking out and standing up for life.”
Critics argue that the FACE Act has been selectively enforced against pro-life advocates, while similar incidents involving pro-abortion protesters have gone unpunished.
The pro-life activists reportedly set to benefit from Trump’s pardons include Lauren Handy, who was sentenced to 57 months and John Hinshaw, sentenced to 21 months. Jonathan Darnell received a sentence of 34 months, while Herb Geraghty and Joan Bell were both sentenced to 27 months.
Jean Marshall and Paulette Harlow were each sentenced to 24 months. Bevelyn Williams received a sentence of 41 months, Heather Idoni was sentenced to 24 months and Calvin Zastrow received the shortest sentence at 6 months.
These activists were convicted for protests at abortion facilities in Tennessee, Washington, D.C. and New York. Pro-life organizations have described these individuals as prisoners of conscience, arguing their actions were motivated by deeply held beliefs rather than criminal intent.
The timing of the pardons is significant, coinciding with the annual March for Life event, which commemorates the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, overturned in 2022, the Daily Wire reports. Trump’s presidency played a key role in shaping the current legal landscape of abortion in the U.S., with his Supreme Court appointments contributing to the reversal of Roe.
Neither Trump nor his representatives have officially confirmed the reported pardons, but the move is expected to further solidify his position as a champion of the pro-life movement. Advocates hope it will also spark renewed attention to what they view as unjust treatment of anti-abortion activists.
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