Pro-life activist Lauren Handy was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervision by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly for her involvement in a peaceful protest at a controversial abortion facility in Washington, D.C.
Handy, 30, was part of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a left-leaning organization with a pro-life stance, that organized a “rescue and protest” at the facility of late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo in October 2020. The protest involved activities such as praying, distributing pro-life literature, counseling women considering abortion, and chaining themselves together inside the facility.
Handy’s decision to protest at Santangelo’s facility was influenced by an undercover video where he admitted he would not help a baby born alive after a failed abortion. She also discovered a box of five dead preemie-sized babies outside the facility, prompting calls for an investigation into Santangelo’s practices.
Handy and nine other pro-life advocates were charged by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and participating in a Conspiracy Against Rights. Despite facing up to 11 years in prison, Handy was convicted in August 2023 and sentenced to 57 months in prison.
A fellow protestor took a plea deal and avoided a harsh sentence, while Handy’s lawyers plan to appeal her conviction and sentence. Republican lawmaker Rep. Chip Roy criticized the DOJ’s actions against pro-life activists and called for defunding the department and repealing the FACE Act.
The DOJ has been accused of targeting pro-life Americans while ignoring other forms of lawlessness, leading to criticism from lawmakers and advocates. Handy’s conviction is seen as a stark example of the Biden administration’s approach to pro-life activism.
