Pro-Life Advocates Sentenced to Prison

Last week, seven pro-life advocates were sentenced to prison terms for participating in a rescue. They were convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a Clinton-era law that transforms what would otherwise be a simple trespass charge — for entering an abortion waiting room, distributing roses, and refusing to leave — into a federal crime with a maximum sentence of eleven years. Although none of these rescuers received the maximum sentence, they will endure years of separation from their loved ones.

Lauren Handy received the longest sentence: 57 months (nearly five years) in prison. That includes approximately nine months she has already spent behind bars, and will be followed by three years of supervised release. Those conditions also apply to the other rescuers listed below.

Johnathan Darnel was sentenced to 34 months in prison. Joan Andrews Bell, William Goodman, and Herb Geraghty (pictured) each received a 27-month sentence. Finally, Jean Marshall was sentenced to 24 months, and John Hinshaw to 21 months. Two additional rescuers — Paulette Harlow and Heather Idoni — are scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow.

Geraghty, who is an atheist, released the following statement:

Being incarcerated for 8.5 months has been missing out on memories I will never get back. Holidays, family members’ weddings, milestone birthdays, funerals, and more. It has also meant that my loved ones have had to deal with my absence at these and other important events. Most regrettably, my sister and brother-in-law were unable to have me at their side as planned when they married last summer, and my very patient fiance, Kaine, has had to put up with, pushing our own wedding back indefinitely. Of course, this is not unique to me but is the case in some form for each of my co-defendants and for every American who has been caught up in our criminal justice system. Undoubtedly, spending more than two years in prison is going to be difficult.

However, when I reflect on my position compared with that of the unborn victims of the abortion industrial complex, I cannot help but be reminded of my immense privilege. When Cesare Santangelo and abortionists like him tear apart babies’ bodies and leave infants to die, they are tearing apart families and whole communities for generations. When they take their lives, they take with them an untold number of birthdays, Christmases, soccer games, graduation ceremonies, and other priceless memories.

I am missing out on a couple years of my life. They have had decades taken from them. When I am transferred from the DC Jail to federal prison, I will walk in with my head held high, and their stolen memories in my heart.

If you wish to support Herb and the other rescuers, you can donate to the fund maintained by Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.