Coleen Kollar-Kotelly, a federal judge nominated by former President Bill Clinton, has sentenced the leader of an anti-abortion group to four years and nine months in prison for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
Lauren Handy, the former director of activism for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a group known for organizing protests outside D.C. area clinics and the U.S. Supreme Court, will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term, with conditions restricting her from approaching reproductive health clinics within 1,000 feet without authorization.
In 2020, Lauren Handy, the former director of activism for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a group known for organizing protests outside D.C. area clinics and the U.S. Supreme Court, was arrested for "conspiring and creating a blockade" at the entrance of Washington Surgi-Clinic on F Street to stop patients from entering the abortion clinic.
Also arrested at the time were Handy's co-defendants Jay Smith, Johnathan Darnel, Herb Geraghty, Joan Andrews Bell, William Goodman, Paulette Harlow, Jean Marshall, John Hinshaw and Heather Idoni.
All defendants coordinated their plan in a Facebook group and traveled to the clinic from different states to block the facility using chains, bike locks, furniture and their bodies to stop patients from entering the abortion clinic. The group sat on chairs, sang hymns, prayed and protested against the clinic for "killing babies" even after birth. (Related: D.C. medical examiner will keep the remains of aborted babies recovered from abortion clinic, leaving open possibility of investigation and charges.)
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However, inspectors have found no evidence that the clinic is performing abortion.
In line with this, Handy, Hinshaw, Idoni, Goodman and Geraghty were convicted of felony conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act offense in 2023. Smith pleaded guilty to the charges and served 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, while others who did not plead guilty face up to 11 years in jail for blocking the clinic.
Federal judge condemns pro-life activists for protecting the life of the unborn
Martin Cannon, a defense attorney from the anti-abortion law firm The Thomas Moore Society and representative for Handy, argued for a reduced sentence from the 63 to 78 months she faced under her federal sentencing guidelines. Cannon listed all of Handy's charitable works and her commitment to nonviolence.
"I am here to argue that she is a person of good faith who is acting out of conscience," Cannon said.
Kollar-Kotelly agreed with the reduced imprisonment and sentenced Handy from 78 months to 57 months in prison. However, Kollar-Kotelly rejected Handy's comparisons to civil rights icons Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
"The law does not protect violent and obstructive conduct, nor should it," Kollar-Kotelly said. "That's what you’re being punished for today. Neither you nor any of the other co-conspirators showed any compassion, empathy, toward those two women needing medical care. Your views took precedence over, frankly, their human needs."
Interestingly, the protest made by the pro-life activists happened around the time members of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) were roving the streets of D.C. burning down buildings and hurting people. They were blocking traffic and disrupting the movement of emergency vehicles that were trying to save people's lives. Yet, none of them were ever tried or convicted.
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