It is the Christian call to “remember those in prison” (Hebrews 13:3), so why do we forget incarcerated Pro-Life prisoners?
Currently, there are nine Pro-Life individuals in federal prison, most of whom acted upon Christian conviction to save the unborn. They appear to be forgotten by the larger Christian and Pro-Life communities.
On May 14, Roman Catholic laywoman Lauren Handy was sentenced to 57 months for violating the Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) Act and was charged with felony conspiracy against civil rights. She and eight other activists conducted a blockade at a Washington, D.C. abortion facility, some of whom symbolically chained themselves to furniture, to stop patients from entering to receive abortions.
Handy and her anti-abortion organization, Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, claim that she was both attempting to stop abortion and prevent infanticide. She claims that late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo conducts infanticide by killing children after failed abortions, evidenced by his own words leaked in undercover Live Action footage.
This was later evidenced by the discovery of five late-term aborted fetuses outside the Washington-Surgi Clinic, whom Handy and other activists, lawyers, and OBGYNs argue were likely aborted illegally or born alive and left to die. The campaign Justice for the Five advocates for an autopsy to be conducted to prove their illegal cause of death and to bring the aborted fetuses and the abortionist, Santangelo, to justice. This campaign has garnered much congressional support.
By Handy’s side were seven other Christians now sentenced to years in federal prison, some of whom are elderly. Identifying as “rescuers,” their focus is to rescue the unborn from abortion or infanticide. These activists include Joan Bell (age 76), Paulette Harlow (age 75), Jean Marshall (age 74), John Hinshaw (age 62), Heather Idoni (age 59) William Goodman (age 54), and Jonathan Darnel (age 42), as well as atheist Herb Geraghty (age 27). Each of these activists received two to five years in prison, with Handy receiving the longest sentence for organizing the blockade.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law the FACE Act (which the activists were charged under) that “prohibits violent, threatening, damaging and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain or provide reproductive health services.” Originally created with language to protect abortion facilities, pregnancy resource centers, and churches, this once bipartisan bill is now intentionally being used to target Pro-Life individuals.
The FACE Act has been used 130 times to indict Pro-Life activists for activities that were already illegal under state or local law, such as trespassing, but has been used against Pro-Abortion vandals only three times. In 2022, the year of the Dobbs decision (which reversed Roe vs Wade), the FACE Act was invoked at least 26 times against Pro-Life individuals. It was never once invoked against Pro-Abortion vandals who obstructed or vandalized over 100 pregnancy resource centers and churches.
The FACE Act continues to be weaponized against Pro-Life activists, with recent charges being brought in Michigan, Tennessee, and New York, where roughly a dozen more Pro-Life activists face prison time for peacefully participating in nonviolent rescues.
Notably, Eva Edl, an 89-year-old survivor of a Soviet concentration camp, faces the rest of her life in prison. The status of all Pro-Life rescuers can be found here.
Many lawmakers are catching on to this unjust and unequal application of the law. In 2023 U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act. Many Pro-Life organizations are also calling for the repeal of the FACE Act, including CatholicVote, Susan B. Anthony List, Live Action, Students for Life Action, Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, and others.
What many members of the Church, the Pro-Life movement, and the general public are unaware of is that this action was a direct result of individuals’ conscious conviction to faithful Christian witness.
Imprisoned Rescuer Will Goodman stated that his Christian faith “motivated” the decision to participate in the rescue. Moments after being sentenced to 27 months in federal prison he recalled:
“[t]he Lord’s words from the Gospel came to my mind: ‘No greater love has a man than this – but to lay down his life for his friends’…My sentence is unjust, but it is absolutely nothing compared to the death penalty imposed upon our smallest sisters and brothers every day.”
Imprisoned rescuer Joan Andrews Bell also recounted why she acts for the unborn:
“All people of goodwill must fight against evil and immoral laws… when the issue is the brutal killing of people, the innocent and the just, you RESCUE them. Regardless of the cost to yourself.”
Now, as Christians, it is not only our duty to remember those in prison for their Christian conviction but to discern carefully the words of Scripture and what it is calling us to do in this modern age.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
One way to support these jailed Pro-Life Christians is at prolifejailsupport.com which offers free resources and information on how to remember and support those in prison.
UPDATE [1/23/2024]: President Donald Trump has signed an executive order pardoning 23 Pro-Life activists that had been convicted for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act. Nine of the activists that were still imprisoned were subsequently released.
Comment by Wilson R. on November 11, 2024 at 12:45 pm
Y’all need to make up your mind on whether Christians are obliged to obey the governing authorities. Those who provide aid and comfort to refugees who may or may not have come here illegally should be prosecuted, but those who violate laws by blocking access to abortion clinics are prisoners of conscience. These double standards are hard to keep up with. It would be nice to have one uniform set of rules. Or at least everyone agree not to cite Romans 13 if that only applies selectively.
Comment by Jeffrey Walton on November 12, 2024 at 10:27 am
“Those who provide aid and comfort to refugees who may or may not have come here illegally should be prosecuted.”
Wilson, when did Sarah — or, for that matter, any other published author on this blog — write that? IRD as an organization has a significant history working on behalf of refugees fleeing religious persecution, among them Sudanese and Uyghur peoples, alongside many others.
Comment by Thomas Hill on November 11, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Thank you for sharing the stories of the Rescuers! Christians need to remember, pray, and support those who are incarcerated for the sake of saving innocent lives, especially those who have been called to act by their faith!
Comment by Wilson R. on November 12, 2024 at 11:25 am
Jeffrey:
I know nothing of your entity’s history. I’d never heard of IRD until recently. I only know what I’ve seen on this site for the past few months. It’s a pretty poisonous witness, to be honest. I share it with others as an illustration of why so many people in America have come to think of Christianity as a religion of hate. Maybe you don’t see yourselves as others see you.
“Toxic empathy?”
Wow.
At any rate, my question still applies. There are two sets of rules. Under your formulation, one group must obey the secular authorities God has put in place. The other group gets to follow higher laws of conscience.
I’m not condemning those who nonviolently disobey the law because of their pro-life commitment. You also won’t see me railing about “toxic empathy” to condemn those who break the law to shelter “illegal” immigrants who came here in a desperate attempt to escape threats to their lives in Mexico, Venezuela and Central America.
When the law comes for the shelterers, you all have made it clear there will be no talk of “rescuers” or “pro-life prisoners.” To your organization, they will just be criminals. And of course the call to remember those in prison will not apply to them, unless they repent and convert to your way of thinking.
That’s what you all have shown me over the past few months. Not the message you want to send about your faith? Then maybe you should think about that.
Comment by Jeffrey Walton on November 13, 2024 at 10:29 am
“I know nothing of your entity’s history.”
Thank you for clarifying. That is all.
Comment by Wilson R. on November 13, 2024 at 2:36 pm
I do know what I see here. Whatever you once were, you’re in Poisonwood Bible territory now. The current history you are making is saddening.
Comment by Different Steve on November 14, 2024 at 10:23 am
“Most lies are wrapped in partial truths, often conveyed through heartbreaking stories. In Toxic Empathy, Allie Beth shares poignant thoughts from diverse viewpoints, offering insight as to why people (and even Christians) come to such different conclusions. Using scripture, reason, and reality, Stuckey advocates for the conservative position while still acknowledging where progressives are coming from.”
—Hillary Morgan Ferrer, bestselling author of Mama Bear Apologetics
“Toxic Empathy exposes how unsuspecting Christians play into Satan’s plot to pit compassion against the truth—as though we can be more merciful than God. Allie Beth exposes that Satan’s ploy is to hamstring Christians to believe that empathy—standing in the shoes of someone else—is the highest expression of love. She addresses five lies of our age, illustrating Christian wisdom and compassion as she exposes what Satan wants to conceal. Every page is a lifeline of sanity, common sense, Christian wisdom, and gospel evangelism. A brilliant book every Christian should read.”
—Rosaria Butterfield, bestselling author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
“As a woman passionately committed to defending the most vulnerable, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Give it to the high schoolers in your life. It will both alert them to the manipulative tactics routinely brandished against good-hearted people as well as make them experts who can stand firm on behalf of the least of these.”
—Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us
“Toxic Empathy is an eye-opening and truthful corrective to a confused culture that calls evil good and good evil. Informative and packed with biblical truth, it is disarmingly compassionate and emotionally compelling. This is THE book for this cultural moment.”
—Alisa Childers, author of The Deconstruction of Christianity and host of The Alisa Childers Podcast
“This book will help all readers to understand the urgency of the moral battle of our time. Stuckey shows how moral confusion can take the shape of a corrupted, toxic form of empathy and compassion. The antidote to confusion is the truth—and thoughtful Christians will be very thankful for this book.”
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of WORLD Opinions
Customers say
Customers find the book thought-provoking, profound, and packed with well-written information and research. They also appreciate the clear framework for how to navigate today’s complex world. Readers describe the book as a great, important read that is well worth their time.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Empathy-Progressives-Christian-Compassion/dp/0593541944
Comment by Catherine on March 25, 2025 at 3:39 pm
What about those who remain in prison because they acted directly to stop these murders? Why do you not advocate for them? Contact me and I’ll give you their contact info.
As to those pro-murder of the unborn who commented, go get some intelligence! These are human beings being slaughtered.