Many of the executive orders Trump signed in his first two days in office are meant to stop the weaponization of the government against conservatives and political enemies. None were more welcomed by pro-lifers than this. In presenting this particular order, the president's secretary announced: "Next, we have a set of pardons for peaceful pro-life protesters who were prosecuted by the Biden administration for exercising their First Amendment rights."
President Trump commented on all the EOs he signed, but he seemed to take special pride in this one:
Trump: "Twenty-three people were prosecuted. They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honor to sign this."
Fox News has published the confirmed names of those pardoned: Lauren Handy, Jonathan Darnel, Jay Smith, Paula Paulette Harlow, Jean Marshall, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman, Joan Bell, Herb Geraghty, Chester Gallagher, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, Paul Vaughn, Dennis Green, Eva Edl, Eva Zastrow ,James Zastrow, Paul Place, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Bevelyn Beatty Williams, and Christopher Moscinski.
Payback for 'Dobbs' ruling
Earlier this month, Thomas More Society submitted to the Trump administration formal requests for presidential pardons on behalf of the pro-life advocates. Senior counsel Steve Crampton says the prosecutions were clearly payback for the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision.
"These were local events. They were handled locally, there was no need for federal intervention – until a little ruling by the Supreme Court in June of 2022 which overturned Roe v. Wade. Only then did they fire up the weapons and come after these pro-lifers," the attorney tells AFN.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) are now sponsoring bills that would overturn the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Crampton admits he finds the turnaround in the legal environment a bit surreal.
"It's like we have been through the looking glass for the last four years and suddenly we've come out into this bright and sunny land," he shares. "I'm not sure I recognize it anymore, but it feels awfully good."
The FACE Act was passed in the 1990s and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton.
Celebration, yes … but work remains
"This is a very big deal," says Walker Wildmon, vice president of American Family Association. "We've been highlighting this persecution and prosecution by Biden for the past few years now.
"Kudos to President Trump for signing this executive order and these pardons for these peaceful protestors. We're just thankful to have these moms and dads and grandmothers released from prison just in time of the March for Life."
Likewise, the pro-life group Operation Rescue expresses joy for the pardons.
"Operation Rescue has taken the responsibility seriously to keep the public informed of their charges and sentences," says the group's president, Troy Newman. "We could not possibly be more pleased that President Trump has set these heroes free. Rescuers are finally getting the respect they truly deserve for their devotion and courage in protecting the unborn."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, says there is "no question" the prosecutions of the activists were political in nature.
"President Trump has consistently taken a strong stance that weaponizing the government to go after pro-life advocates and other ideological opponents is wrong …. Even ex-FBI director Chris Wray admits the overwhelming majority of abortion-related threats and violence since Dobbs is directed at pro-life Americans – not done by them," she says in a press release. "We look forward to the end of Biden’s anti-life discrimination under Attorney General Pam Bondi."
AFA, however, cautions that there's still work to do.
"While we celebrate this victory, we recognize the urgent need to address the root of these injustices," the group states in a note to its supporters. "The FACE Act has been weaponized against Christians and pro-lifers, targeting peaceful advocates in a way that undermines our constitutional freedoms. AFA will continue to work toward the repeal of the FACE Act."
Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
