Fri Jan 24 07:32:43 IST 2025: ## Trump Pardons Anti-Abortion Activists Convicted Under FACE Act

**Washington, D.C. –** President Donald Trump granted pardons to ten anti-abortion activists convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for their involvement in a 2020 blockade of a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic. The pardons, announced Thursday, January 23rd, 2025, include Lauren Handy, who received a nearly five-year sentence for leading the blockade. The protesters had chained themselves to the clinic doors, resulting in injuries to clinic staff and patients. Police later found five fetuses in Handy’s home.

The pardons fulfill a campaign promise made by President Trump and have been met with mixed reactions. Pro-life groups lauded the decision, praising the President for upholding his commitment to those involved in what they consider peaceful protest. The Thomas More Society, which represented the defendants, described their imprisonment as unjust. Republican Senator Josh Hawley strongly supported the pardons, calling the original prosecutions a “grotesque assault on the principles of this country.”

Conversely, abortion rights advocates condemned the move as further evidence of Trump’s opposition to abortion access. They criticized his actions as contradictory to his attempts to appear moderate on the issue during his campaign. The pardons come ahead of Friday’s March for Life, where President Trump is expected to address attendees via video. The timing is highly symbolic, given the event’s anti-abortion focus. The debate surrounding these pardons highlights the deeply divisive issue of abortion rights in the United States.

Read More