Reason President Trump Released Women Arrested Under Biden for Protesting at Clinic Emerges
- President Donald Trump pardoned 23 pro-life individuals convicted under the Biden administration for demonstrating at abortion clinics
- The pardons include elderly activists and those with medical conditions, highlighting Trump's commitment to pro-life causes
- Pro-life organisations praised the pardons, calling them a necessary correction to what they see as unjust prosecutions
President Donald Trump has pardoned 23 anti-abortion individuals who Joe Biden’s Department of Justice convicted for praying inside or demonstrating at abortion clinics.
On Thursday, Trump stated, “Twenty-three people were prosecuted, they should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people — they should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honour to sign this.”
Source: Getty Images
Lengthy sentences for peaceful protests
According to National Review, during Biden’s time in office, pro-life protesters received sentences for demonstrating at abortion clinics.
The former president used the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to add felony conspiracy charges to what would have been minimal sentences.
Many of the pro-lifers are no strangers to being jailed for defending the lives of the unborn.
Notable cases
Joan Bell, a 76-year-old Catholic woman, was sentenced to two years in prison for demonstrating at an abortion clinic and staging a rescue mission at the Washington Surgi-Clinic, run by Cesare Santangelo, who is notorious in pro-life circles for allegedly embracing late-term abortions.
Paulette Harlow, a 75-year-old grandmother with diabetes and Hashimoto’s disease, was also hit with felony charges for causing a disturbance inside an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C.
She was sentenced to two years and was on house arrest due to her poor medical condition before being pardoned this week.
Reactions to the pardons
“President Trump’s pardon today of pro-life activists unjustly imprisoned under President Biden is a great credit to his legacy,” said Tommy Valentine, president of the pro-life organization CatholicVote.
He expressed hope that Trump would direct his Department of Justice to evenly enforce the FACE Act against violent pro-abortion extremists who have been attacking pregnancy resource centers and churches for years.
Additional pardons
Other individuals pardoned by Trump include a group of pro-lifers who sang hymns and prayed in front of an abortion clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2021.
They were given sentences of six months to three years for “unlawfully obstructing access to reproductive health services,” according to the DOJ. Beverly Williams, a mother of a 2-year-old, and John Hinshaw, a grandfather whose two grandchildren were born while he was in jail, were also among those pardoned.
Pro-life organisations' Response
“When pro-lifers are unfairly targeted, and punished excessively, for their peaceful protests, then presidential pardons are a must,” said pro-life organization Heartbeat International in a statement on Friday.
“We are grateful for President Trump’s effort to right the wrongs of the activist Biden administration.”
Trump pardons over 1,000 individuals
Legit.ng earlier reported that hours after his inauguration, President Donald Trump issued pardons to nearly all individuals charged in connection with the January 6th U.S. Capitol riot.
This act of clemency, which impacts almost 1,590 people, wipes away the legal consequences for most participants in the violent attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
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Source: Legit.ng
