Pardoned by Trump, pro-life activists break silence after being sentenced to prison during Biden admin

Pro-life activists sentenced to situation nether the Biden medication are speaking retired aft receiving pardons from President Donald Trump.

"I person never, ever, ever seen immoderate unit connected the portion of pro-life people," Paulette Harlow said successful an exclusive interrogation with "Outnumbered" co-host Kayleigh McEnany. 

Harlow, 75 astatine the clip of her conviction, was recovered blameworthy of national civilian rights conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

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"There were respective things that were said to us. One was that this proceedings was not astir abortion, which was benignant of ridiculous, due to the fact that that’s the crushed that we were there, to halt abortions," Harlow said. 

"To emotion the mothers and the children, but chiefly to spot if we could intervene and prevention the beingness of the babies. And redeeming the beingness of the baby, you often prevention the beingness of the parent arsenic well."

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19:  People be the yearly March for Life rally extracurricular of the U.S. Supreme Court connected January 19, 2024 successful Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (Getty)

Harlow was among respective protesters sentenced for participating successful an termination session blockade successful Washington, D.C., successful October 2020. Prosecutors argued that Harlow and others forcefully entered the clinic, blocking doors with furniture, ropes, and their bodies. She was sentenced to 24 months successful prison.

"These defendants conspired to usage unit to forestall chap citizens from exercising rights protected by law," said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia successful a press release. "People cannot edifice to utilizing unit and intimidation to forestall others from engaging successful lawful enactment simply due to the fact that they disagree with the law."

The FACE Act, passed successful 1994, prohibits threats, obstruction, and spot harm intended to interfere with reproductive wellness attraction services. The instrumentality was enacted during a play of expanding protests and unit against termination providers, including the 1993 execution of Dr. David Gunn.

Earlier this month, Trump pardoned much than 2 twelve anti-abortion activists, telling reporters, "We released 23 radical that were unjustly enactment successful and having to bash with pro-life. And they volition beryllium released, and they’ll beryllium retired precise shortly. It was disgraceful what happened."

"I was appalled watching Garland. He was isolating america and targeting america due to the fact that of our pro-life stance. And especially, helium was targeting Catholics," said Harlow. 

Republican lawmakers person repeatedly accused the Department of Justice of holding an "anti-Catholic bias" successful its handling of pro-life activists. 

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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., echoed these concerns connected X, writing, "No medication successful past has targeted Christians similar the Biden Admin. We saw 1 persecution aft another, from shutting down churches during COVID to raiding pro-lifers' homes astatine the ace of dawn. EVERY pro-life captive Biden wrongly imprisoned should beryllium pardoned."

When questioned by Hawley astir the DOJ’s attraction of Catholics, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the department, stating, "Our section protects each religions, each ideologies. It does not person immoderate bias against immoderate religion of immoderate kind."

Many termination rights advocates criticized the pardons, arguing they awesome Trump's absorption to termination access. However, Trump has stated connected the run way that helium would veto a national termination prohibition if it reached his desk.

On societal media level X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, helium posted: "Everyone knows that I would not enactment a national termination prohibition nether immoderate circumstances and would, successful fact, veto it, due to the fact that it is up to the states to determine based connected the volition of their voters (the volition of the people!)."

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Among those sentenced for the blockade was William Goodman, who described the conditions helium faced portion serving his 27-month sentence.

"We went implicit 2 weeks without toilet paper," Goodman said. "And immoderate of the guys mentioned that immoderate of the men who were determination with sex dysphoria, wearing dresses, could get mascara, lipstick, and perfume—but we couldn’t adjacent get toilet insubstantial oregon basal needs. So determination was a batch of neglect."

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 08: Pro-life demonstrators and session escorts basal successful beforehand of the EMW Womens Surgical Center, an termination clinic, connected May 8, 2021 successful Louisville, Kentucky. Various anti-abortion spiritual groups and members of pro-life organizations gathered connected the sidewalk adjacent the session to privation approaching patients a blessed Mother's Day and person them not to enter. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images) ((Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images))

While prosecutors argued that immoderate of the protesters acted violently, Jean Marshall, a erstwhile caregiver and sister of Paulette Harlow, denies those claims. Marshall was besides sentenced to 24 months.

She described her clip successful situation arsenic hard but said she relied connected her religion for support.

"We had a Bible survey going, and a mates of the women joined," Marshall told McEnany. "They were truthful enthusiastic and thankful. One of them adjacent said, ‘Now I cognize wherefore I coiled up successful prison, truthful that I could perceive this Bible study.’"

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Despite the experience, Marshall said she has nary regrets.

"I was truthful thankful to God that He could usage me," she said.