Pro-life advocates convicted to jail under the Biden administration are coming out after winning pardons from President Donald Trump.
“I have never, ever, ever seen any violence on the part of pro-life people,” Paulette Harlow stated in an exclusive interview with “Outnumbered” co-host Kayleigh McEnany.
Harlow, 75, was convicted of federal civil rights conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
“A few things were spoken to us. One was that this trial wasn’t about abortion, which was silly because that’s why we were there: to halt abortions,” Harlow explained.
“To love the mothers and children, but most importantly, to see if we could intervene and save the babies’ lives.” And often, by saving the baby’s life, you also save the mother’s.”
Harlow was one of many protestors jailed for engaging in an abortion clinic barricade in Washington, D.C., in October 2020. Prosecutors said that Harlow and others forced their way inside the facility, blocking doors with furniture, ropes, and their own bodies. She was sentenced to 24 months in jail.
“These defendants conspired to use force to prevent fellow citizens from exercising their legally protected rights,” stated U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia in a press statement. “People cannot resort to using force and intimidation to prevent others from engaging in lawful activity simply because they disagree with the law.”
The FACE Act, enacted in 1994, outlaws threats, obstruction, and property damage designed to interfere with reproductive health care services. The law was passed during a period of rising demonstrations and violence against abortion doctors, including the 1993 murder of Dr. David Gunn.
Earlier this month, Trump pardoned more than two dozen anti-abortion activists, telling reporters, “We freed 23 people that were wrongfully imprisoned and had to do with pro-life. They will be available very soon. It was disgusting what occurred.”
“I was disgusted while watching Garland. He was isolating and targeting us due to our pro-life beliefs. “He was specifically targeting Catholics,” Harlow stated.
Republican senators have often accused the Department of Justice of having a “anti-Catholic bias” in its treatment of pro-life campaigners.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., had similar worries about X, tweeting, “No government in history has persecuted Christians like the Biden government. We witnessed one persecution after another, from church closures during COVID to early-morning raids on pro-life residences. Biden should pardon every pro-life prisoner who was wrongfully imprisoned.”
When asked by Hawley about the DOJ’s treatment of Catholics, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the agency, saying, “Our department defends all religions and philosophies. There is no prejudice against any faith.”
Many abortion rights supporters slammed the pardons, claiming they demonstrate Trump’s hostility to abortion access. However, Trump has declared on the campaign trail that he would veto a nationwide abortion ban if it came to his desk.
On social media site X, previously known as Twitter, he posted: “Everyone knows that I would not support a federal abortion ban under any circumstances and would, in fact, veto it, because it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters (the will of the people!).”
Among those jailed for the blockage was William Goodman, who recalled the hardships he endured while serving his 27-month term.
“We went over two weeks without toilet paper,” Goodman explained. “And some of the males commented that some of the men there with gender dysphoria, wearing dresses, could obtain mascara, lipstick, and perfume, but we couldn’t even get toilet paper or basic necessities. So there was a great deal of negligence.”
While authorities claimed that some of the demonstrators were aggressive, Jean Marshall, a former nurse and Paulette Harlow’s sister, denied the allegations. Marshall was also sentenced to 24 months.
She characterized her time in prison as challenging, but she leaned on her faith for comfort.
“We had a Bible study going, and a couple of the women joined,” Marshall informed McEnany. “They were really enthusiastic and appreciative. One of them even stated, “Now I know why I wound up in prison, so that I could hear this Bible study.”
Despite the incident, Marshall had no regrets.
“I was so thankful to God that He could use me,” she told me.