Pardon Pro-Life Americans; Hunter Biden Shouldn’t Get the Only Mercy!

December 12, 2024

By: Jordan Estabrook, originally published December 2, 2024, SFLA News

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January 2025, Students for Life of America (SFLA) won’t forget the pro-lifers imprisoned because of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) weaponized use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The Biden-Harris administration has wielded this antiquated, Clinton-era law to discriminate against peaceful pro-lifers who pray and peacefully protest outside of abortion vendors nationwide, with some already serving unjust prison sentences. 

Just as we haven’t forgotten these pro-lifers, we also haven’t forgotten Trump’s promise to them. 

In June 2024, Trump spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition and referenced grandmother Paulette Harlow, 75, who was convicted of the FACE Act and sentenced to two years in prison this year.  

“Paulette is one of many peaceful pro-lifers who Joe Biden has rounded up, sometimes with SWAT teams, and thrown them in jail. Many people are in jail over this. … We’re going to get that taken care of immediately — [on the] first day,” promised Trump. He continued saying he would “rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner who’s unjustly victimized by the Biden regime, including Paulette, so we can get them out of the gulags and back to their families where they belong.” 

Less than three months away from his presidency, let’s remind Trump of who deserves a pardon, especially as President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter, just days before a scheduled sentencing hearing. Also on the line for those convicted and then pardoned, restoration of civil rights, such as the right to vote. At stake are:

Paulette Harlow, Joan Andrews Bell, Jonathan Darnel, Lauren Handy, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman, and Herb Geraghty

In October 2020, Harlow and seven other pro-lifers, Joan Andrews Bell, Jonathan Darnel, Lauren Handy, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman, and Herb Geraghty, were convicted of the FACE Act for peacefully protesting in front of an abortion facility entrance in Washington, D.C. Harlow turned herself in on Nov. 22, 2024, to serve her two year sentence. Additionally, seven others received similar prison sentences regarding the same incident: 

Paul Vaughn, Chester Gallagher, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, and Dennis Green 

In 2021, Paul Vaughn, along with five other pro-lifers, Chester Gallagher, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, and Dennis Green, were convicted of the FACE Act for singing and praying in an abortion facility in Nashville, Tennessee. Thankfully, Vaughn and Green received supervised release, but other pro-lifers weren’t as fortunate. The sentences are as follows: 

Idoni is serving her D.C. sentence and Tennessee sentence concurrently, while also waiting for sentencing in Michigan.

Eva Edl, Eva Zastro, James Zastro, and Paul Place 

In March 2021, Eva Edl, 87, along with three other pro-lifers, Eva Zastro, James Zastro, and Paul Place, were convicted of the FACE Act in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Edl survived the horrors of a communist concentration camp and now spends her life advocating for the preborn. Their sentences are as follows: 

  • Eva Edl: Three years probation.  
  • Eva Zastro: In home detention, three years’ probation. 
  • James Zastro: In home detention, three years’ probation. 

Paul Place: In home detention, three years’ probation. 

Joel Curry, Caroline Davis, and Justin Phillips 

In August 2024, Joel Curry, Caroline Davis, and Justin Phillips were convicted of the FACE Act for peaceful protest in Detroit, Michigan, at a Northland Family Planning Clinic, an abortion facility in the state. Currently, they are all awaiting sentencing: 

  • Calvin Zastrow 
  • Chester Gallagher 
  • Heather Idoni 
  • Caroline Davis 
  • Joel Curry 
  • Justin Phillips 
  • Eva Edl  
  • Eva Zastrow 

Steven Lefemine 

In March 2024, Steven Lefemine became the first citizen in South Carolina to be convicted of the FACE Act and sentenced to 60 days in prison. It’s not that he spewed hatred or physically attacked anyone. Rather, he peacefully sat in front of the entrance praying.

We’re ready for President-elect and former President Donald Trump to put his words into action by releasing these peaceful pro-life advocates and protecting free speech online and on the ground. Even further, he should encourage Congress to pass a repeal of the highly weaponized FACE Act, which has targeted pro-lifers for more than 20 years.

Jordan Estabrook serves the Pro-Life Generation as a press specialist and online editor at Students for Life of America News.

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