Emergency Motion Filed to Appeal Denial of Release for Pro-Life Activist
The Thomas More Society has filed an emergency motion to appeal a lower court decision that denied pro-life activist Lauren Handy’s release from jail ahead of her sentencing.
Handy and four other pro-life activists were ordered to be immediately detained on August 29 by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, after being convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The activists had sought to prevent abortions by blocking women from accessing a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic in 2020.
The Thomas More Society, a legal group representing Handy, argues that the FACE Act is not necessarily a crime of violence and therefore should not result in pre-sentencing detention. They highlight that the only instance of physical force was when a clinic worker rushed at the activists and injured herself in the process, and there was no intent to harm anyone on the part of Handy or her co-defendants.
The FACE Act, which protects both abortion clinics and pro-life pregnancy centers, has been disproportionately used by the Justice Department to charge pro-life activists since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta has specifically stated that the DOJ is targeting pro-life activists through the FACE Act in response to the Roe v. Wade decision.
In 2022, the DOJ charged at least 26 pro-life individuals with FACE Act violations, while no perpetrators of far-left violence were charged under the same law. In 2023, only four individuals were charged with FACE Act violations for attacking pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida. Meanwhile, since the rumored overturn of Roe v. Wade, at least 88 pro-life groups and 189 churches have been attacked, with federal authorities slow to investigate these incidents.
The Thomas More Society’s emergency motion to appeal the denial of Handy’s release has been filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The outcome of the appeal will determine whether Handy and her co-defendants will remain in jail ahead of their sentencing.
