(May 14, 2024 – Washington, D.C.) Today, peaceful pro-life advocate Lauren Handy was formally sentenced to 57 months in prison, plus three years supervision, for her efforts to peacefully save the lives of preborn babies. Thomas More Society attorneys are now preparing to proceed with an appeal on behalf of Handy, which will seek to overturn her conviction and challenge the constitutionality of the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act.

On August 29, 2023, Handy was convicted by a Washington, D.C., federal jury on charges of violating the FACE Act and “Conspiracy Against Rights.” These charges were brought by the Biden Department of Justice against Handy and several other pro-life advocates and carried a potential sentence of up to 11 years. The Biden Department of Justice requested a sentence up to six-and-a-half years, while Thomas More Society attorneys asked the Court to show leniency with a 12-month sentence—which effectively amounts to time-served. During the sentencing hearing, letters were discussed attesting to Handy’s deep commitment to non-violence, history of humanitarian work, and dedication to serving the marginalized in society.  

Martin Cannon, Thomas More Society Senior Counsel, reacted to the sentence: “There was only one thing around which Ms. Handy and her co-defendants were unified, and that was nonviolence. They conspired to be peaceful. Yet, today, the Court granted the Biden Department of Justice its wish by sentencing Ms. Handy to 57 months—nearly 5 years in prison. For her efforts to peacefully protect the lives of innocent preborn human beings, Ms. Handy deserves thanks, not a gut-wrenching prison sentence. We will vigorously pursue an appeal of Ms. Handy’s conviction and attack the root cause of this injustice, that is, the FACE Act—which we believe is unconstitutional and should never again be used to persecute peaceful pro-lifers.”

‍Steve Crampton, Thomas More Society Senior Counsel, added: “Ms. Handy’s 57-month sentence is a miscarriage of justice, plain and simple. As I’ve gotten to know Ms. Handy, I’ve seen up close her unwavering passion for pro-life advocacy and resolute dedication to nonviolence. The caricature of Ms. Handy that the Biden Department of Justice fabricated flies in the face of reality. Ms. Handy should have been shown the same mercy that she has herself shown to countless many downtrodden throughout her young life. It is deeply disappointing that this Court did not see through Department of Justice’s smoke and mirrors. But this fight is far from over, and we eagerly look forward to appealing for Ms. Handy and her co-defendants’ freedom, so that the FACE Act can never again be weaponized by the Department of Justice against its ideological opponents.”

The FACE Act charges brought against Handy and other peaceful pro-life advocates over the past two years have sparked debate about the constitutionality of the FACE Act and its use by Biden Department of Justice. The debate has reached members of both houses of the United States Congress, where legislation has been introduced to repeal the FACE Act. Additionally, the remains of several later-term aborted babies discovered by Ms. Handy and her associates, known as the “D.C. Five,” have underscored the truth of Ms. Handy’s concerns that abortionist Cesare Santangelo has more likely than not been violating the Born Alive Infants Protection Act by reportedly refusing to provide life-saving care to infants born alive as a result of an attempted abortion.  

Read about Thomas More Society’s defense of Lauren Handy and see relevant legal filings, here.

Read more about the “D.C. Five,” here.

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