Lauren Handy was one of five pro-life activists convicted in August 2023 of conspiring to block women's access to a Washington, DC, abortion clinic in 2020. She and her fellow pro-lifers were found guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act – which "prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care service."
Tuesday morning, Handy was formally sentenced to 57 months in prison, plus three years supervision. (See related Associated Press story)
Handy is represented by Thomas More Society, which in a statement today says it will proceed with a federal appeal, seeking to overturn her conviction and challenge the constitutionality of the FACE Act. The legal group says the court "granted the Biden Department of Justice its wish" in the sentencing. Senior counsel Steve Crampton calls it "a miscarriage of justice, plain and simple."
"The caricature of Ms. Handy that the Biden Department of Justice fabricated flies in the face of reality," says Crampton. "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 the 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 others convicted along with Handy were Heather Idoni, William Goodman, John Hinshaw, and Herb Geraghty. The group of pro-lifers became known as the "D.C. Five."
Read more details about the case here.
