Biden's Justice Department prosecuted 21 pro-life protesters, and Trump was urged to pardon them.

The Biden administration prosecuted 21 pro-life activists, and a conservative law firm is requesting that President-elect Trump grant them pardons when he takes office next week.

Nearly two dozen pro-life Americans who had demonstrated at abortion facilities and been convicted on charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) and conspiracy against rights were formally requested for "full and unconditional" pardons by Thomas More Society attorneys to the incoming administration.

The FACE Act criminalizes the use of threats, obstruction, or property damage to interfere with reproductive health care services. Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, President Biden's Justice Department has aggressively prosecuted pro-life activists under this 1994 law.

The Thomas More Society petition urges Trump to grant clemency to Joan Bell, Coleman Boyd, Joel Curry, Jonathan Darnel, Eva Edl, Chester Gallagher, William Goodman, Dennis Green, Lauren Handy, Paulette Harlow, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, Jean Marshall, Fr. Fidelis Moscinski, Justin Phillips, Paul Place, Paul Vaughn, Bevelyn Beatty Williams, Calvin Zastrow, Eva Zastrow, and James Zastrow.

The petition cover letter states that "Biden mistreated these peaceful pro-life Americans, who include grandparents, pastors, a Holocaust survivor, and a Catholic priest—all of whom are selfless, sincere patriots."

"Despite the firebombing and vandalism of hundreds of pro-life churches and pregnancy centers, Biden's prosecutors aggressively pursued pro-life Americans, securing convictions against them under the federal 'FACE Act' and the Ku Klux Klan Act's 'Conspiracy Against Rights' felony provisions."

The letter states that if Joe Biden had been opposing anything other than abortion, he would have given them medals instead of branding them as convicted felons and imprisoning them for years in a federal penitentiary.

Nearly 10 defendants were given prison sentences ranging from 10 months to 57 months for their role in a 2020 blockade of an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. In May, Paulette Harlow, 75, was sentenced to two years in prison, while Lauren Handy, 30, received nearly five years.

Thomas More attorneys explained in their letter to Trump the legal reasoning behind their belief that the protesters' convictions were "fatally flawed and plainly unjust."

The legal group submitted 21 private pardon requests, detailing the circumstances of each individual, their moral character, and the reasons for their request.

Steve Crampton, Thomas More Society Senior Counsel, urged President Trump to rectify the injustices committed by the Biden administration through the weaponization of the Department of Justice, as he received 21 requests for presidential pardons from peaceful pro-life advocates.

The Justice Department declined to comment on Planet Chronicle Digital's request.

President Trump has the opportunity to pardon 21 peaceful pro-lifers who are currently imprisoned for standing up for unborn life. These pro-life advocates are upstanding citizens and pillars of their communities. By granting full and unconditional pardons to these individuals, Trump can repair trust in our constitutional order, fulfill his campaign promises, and remedy the harm done to them and their families.

The Biden administration has been criticized by Trump for prosecuting pro-life protesters, and Trump has indicated that he may grant them pardons.

At the Pray Vote Stand Summit in September 2023, Trump hinted at the possibility of pardoning pro-life protesters who he believed had been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration.

"Trump stated that under Biden, pro-life activists are being sentenced to 10, 15, and even 20 years in prison for their political beliefs, while Antifa and other groups are being sentenced to 11 years in prison for simple acts of protest."

To address the injustices committed by the Biden administration, he declared that upon winning the election, he would establish a special task force to swiftly review the cases of political prisoners who have been wrongfully persecuted.

Trump raised the issue again on at least two occasions in 2024.

In June at the Faith and Freedom Coalition, he discussed the case of 75-year-old Paulette Harlow.

"Trump stated that many individuals are incarcerated due to the issue, and he vowed to address it promptly on his first day in office."

In February 2024, Trump denounced the charges against protesters in a Tennessee case as "outrageous" and vowed to establish a task force to examine the cases of every political prisoner who has been wrongfully convicted under the Biden administration.