Trump Pardons 23 More Defendants
Well, folks, this is a headline you won’t see celebrated in the mainstream media, but it’s an important day for freedom and justice in America. President Donald Trump, wasting no time in delivering on his promises during his second term, has signed an executive order pardoning 23 pro-life activists who were targeted and prosecuted under the Biden administration’s Justice Department.
These individuals, many of them elderly and peaceful, were subjected to FBI raids, lengthy prison sentences, and felony conspiracy charges for exercising their First Amendment rights. Trump’s move signals a dramatic reversal of the weaponization of federal laws like the FACE Act, which has disproportionately been used to silence and punish pro-life Americans.
As Trump signed the order, he said, “They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honor to sign this.” The decision is already being hailed as a triumph by pro-life advocates, legal experts, and Republican lawmakers who have long criticized the Biden administration for its blatant targeting of peaceful pro-lifers while turning a blind eye to violence and vandalism against pregnancy resource centers and churches.
These pardons come as a relief to activists like 89-year-old Eva Edl, a concentration camp survivor who faced the possibility of more than a decade in prison simply for praying and advocating for life. Others, like Lauren Handy and William Goodman, had already begun serving harsh sentences for their participation in peaceful protests, such as locking arms and singing hymns outside abortion facilities. For many, their "crimes" involved nothing more than praying and persuading women not to end their pregnancies—a stark contrast to the federal overreach that treated them like violent criminals.
The FACE Act, passed in 1994 under the guise of protecting both churches and abortion facilities, has been weaponized almost exclusively against pro-lifers. The numbers speak for themselves: 97% of cases brought under the FACE Act have been against pro-life Americans.
While Biden’s DOJ was using the Act as a political cudgel to punish dissent, it allowed violent pro-abortion extremists who attacked pregnancy resource centers and churches to walk free without consequence. Trump’s pardons not only highlight the injustice of these prosecutions but serve as a powerful rebuke to the double standards that have plagued the legal system.
Steve Crampton, senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, summed it up best: “Today, freedom rings in our great nation. The heroic peaceful pro-lifers unjustly imprisoned by Biden’s Justice Department will now be freed and able to return home to their families, eat a family meal, and enjoy the freedom that should have never been taken from them in the first place.”
Pro-life leaders and lawmakers are also calling for immediate action to prevent this kind of persecution from happening again. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) have renewed efforts to repeal the FACE Act entirely, pointing to its misuse as justification. CatholicVote’s Tommy Valentine praised Trump’s bold leadership but urged him to take it a step further by ensuring the DOJ applies laws like the FACE Act fairly—or abolishes them altogether.
The timing of this announcement couldn’t be more fitting. It comes on the eve of the 52nd annual March for Life, a movement that has gained momentum over the years, even as pro-life Americans faced increasing hostility under the Biden administration. Vice President JD Vance is set to speak at the event for the first time since being sworn in, underscoring the renewed focus on protecting life and restoring fairness in the justice system.