Three Pro-Life Activists Found Guilty and Incarcerated for Abortion Clinic Blockade

Three pro-life activists, Joan Andrews Bell, Jonathan Darnel, and Jean Marshall, have been found guilty and immediately incarcerated for their involvement in an abortion clinic blockade that occurred in Washington, DC, in October 2020. The activists were charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and conspiracy against rights for obstructing access to the Washington Surgi-Clinic, a clinic known for performing late-term abortions.

This verdict follows the conviction of five other pro-life activists involved in the same blockade in late August. The guilty activists, along with Lauren Handy, Heather Idoni, William Goodman, Herb Geraghty, and John Hinshaw, could face a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $350,000, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Another activist, Jay Smith, previously accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to ten months in prison, while activist Paulette Harlow is awaiting trial on similar charges.

The FACE Act prohibits conduct intended to obstruct or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services. During the blockade, some activists kneeled and prayed, distributed pro-life literature, counseled abortion-minded women, and chained themselves together inside the facility, according to attorneys representing Lauren Handy.

The Department of Justice indicted the activists for the 2020 blockade just five days after Handy and PAAU’s founder, Terrisa Bukovinac, allegedly discovered the remains of approximately 115 aborted babies in a waste box from the Washington Surgi-Clinic in March 2022. The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia is currently investigating the discovery of the babies.

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who presided over both trials, did not allow the use of a Live Action video or photo evidence of the aborted babies. She also prohibited defendants from arguing that their actions were protected by the First Amendment or committed in defense of unborn children.

The pro-life activists expressed faith and resolve while awaiting their verdict, according to Life Site News. The Biden DOJ has been accused of unjustly targeting these activists.