{"id":2257134,"date":"2024-05-31T20:29:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-01T00:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activists-who-blocked-dc-abortion-clinic-get-combined-23-years-in-prison\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T20:30:26","modified_gmt":"2024-06-01T00:30:26","slug":"activists-who-blocked-dc-abortion-clinic-get-combined-23-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activists-who-blocked-dc-abortion-clinic-get-combined-23-years-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists sentenced to a total of 23 years for obstructing DC abortion clinic"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Factivists-who-blocked-dc-abortion-clinic-get-combined-23-years-in-prison%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2257134&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In 2020, an activist involved in a blockade\u200d at a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic received a two<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-please-pardon-jon-woods-a-victim-of-process-crimes-like-michael-flynn\/\" title=\"President Trump, Please Pardon Jon Woods, a Victim of Process Crimes Like Michael Flynn\">-year prison sentence<\/a>. Paulette Harlow, along with nine\u2063 others, engaged in \u2064a &#8220;rescue&#8221; operation using chains to block \u200bthe clinic entrance for over \u200btwo hours. The defendants violated the Freedom of Access to\u2064 Clinic Entrances \u2064Act, with \u200descalating \u2063prosecutions under the Biden administration. Various sentences\u2064 were handed down, with the organizer, Lauren Handy, receiving the harshest penalty of four years and nine months.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>An activist who participated in a blockade at an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abortion<\/a> clinic in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, in 2020 was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday, bringing the combined sentences of the 10 defendants involved in the incident to 23 years.<\/p>\n<p>Paulette Harlow, 59, and nine others attended what they described as a \u201crescue\u201d at the clinic that involved using chains, bike locks, and ropes to block the clinic entrance for more than two hours.<\/p>\n<p>Nine were found guilty either in jury or bench trials of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and conspiring to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mont-attorney-gen-austin-knudsen-most-critical-race-theory-activities-are-illegal\/\" title=\"Mont. Attorney Gen. Austin Knudsen: most critical race theory activities are illegal\">violate civil rights<\/a>. A tenth defendant entered a guilty plea for one FACE Act charge. The FACE Act has been around for decades, but prosecutions under it have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2573000\/abortion-opponents-see-sharp-rise-in-face-act-charges-under-biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ramped up<\/a> under the Biden administration\u2019s Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p>Harlow, for her part, was found by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to have \u201cjostled past three employees\u201d and shoved a clinic manager into a chair in a waiting room, though the manager was not injured. Harlow and four others then chained themselves together and blocked the clinic entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Lauren Handy, a co-defendant who organized the blockade, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3003040\/activist-lauren-handy-sentenced-prison-abortion-clinic-blockade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sentenced<\/a> earlier this month to four years and nine months in prison, the highest penalty of the 10 handed down.<\/p>\n<p>Other sentences in the case ranged from 10 months for Jay Smith, the one who entered the guilty plea, to two years and 10 months for Jonathan Darnel, who stayed outside the clinic during the blockade and livestreamed it.<\/p>\n<p>During the protest, one injury occurred when a nurse fell and sprained her ankle, according to court papers. The incident also prevented multiple patients from entering the clinic, including one who was \u201cexperiencing severe labor pains,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-dept-drops-felony-case-against-trans-portland-antifa-rioter-accused-of-assaulting-officers\/\" title=\"Justice Dept. Drops Felony Case Against Trans Portland Antifa Rioter Accused of Assaulting Officers\">court documents stated<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Martin Cannon, senior counsel at the Thomas More Society and Handy\u2019s attorney, said he felt the sentences were unfair and plans to help the defendants with their appeals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese people are peaceful,\u201d Cannon told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThey\u2019re going in there on a very important social issue, as to which half the country agrees with them, and half the country has outlawed abortion in one way or another. These aren\u2019t monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cannon explained that it was unusual to see the DOJ couple the FACE Act, which often would result in no more than one year in prison for first-time offenders, with a conspiracy charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>He said it has \u201ctwo effects that could be seen as dirty pool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of them is to take a misdemeanor and make it worth 10 years in prison,\u201d Cannon said. \u201cThe other thing it does is it convicts, say, 10 people, like in this case, when only two actually did any blocking, or maybe three. If you can\u2019t prove your case against the other seven, call it a conspiracy, and you got them anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Handy, who led the blockade, has a long history of protesting at abortion clinics. She took matters a step further in 2022 when police discovered she had the remains of five aborted fetuses in her apartment that appeared to be nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hillary-clinton-praises-teen-who-secretly-switched-valedictorian-speech-to-bash-texas-abortion-law\/\" title=\"Hillary Clinton Praises Teen Who Secretly Switched Valedictorian Speech To Bash Texas Abortion Law\">full-term<\/a>, according to photos of the incident.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Handy said she retrieved the aborted remains from the Washington Surgi-Clinic, the same place where she led the blockade.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Cesare Santangelo ran the clinic at the time. The advocacy group Live Action once recorded Santangelo during an undercover operation saying he \u201cwould not help\u201d a baby in the rare event the baby was born alive during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/becerra-tells-congress-this-individual-never-sued-any-nuns-despite-californias-small-sisters-of-the-indegent-lawsuit\/\" title=\"Becerra Tells Congress This individual \u2018Never Sued Any Nuns\u2019 Despite California\u2019s Small Sisters Of THE INDEGENT Lawsuit\">late-term abortion procedure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paulette Harlow, 59, and nine others participated in a blockade at a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic in 2020. Harlow received a two-year prison sentence, adding to the combined 23-year sentences of all defendants involved. They described the action as a &#8220;rescue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2257135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP23111493783152.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2257134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP23111493783152.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2257134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2257135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2257134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2257134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2257134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}