Woman Prepares For Sentencing After Trial
Eva Edl, an 89-year-old American citizen and Holocaust survivor, is facing up to 11 years in prison and $350,000 in fines after being charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The charges stem from her participation in pro-life protests, or “rescues,” outside abortion clinics in Michigan and Tennessee. Edl, who turned 10 years old in a World War II-era death camp, believes she may die in prison, drawing on her brutal experiences with communism in Yugoslavia. However, she remains determined to continue her fight to save the lives of unborn babies.
Edl’s first encounter with the horrors of abortion came in the 1960s when she took an English course and was shocked to learn about the practice. As a child, she had endured the trauma of being shipped off to a concentration camp where she witnessed starvation, disease, and death. After immigrating to the United States in 1955, she saw America as a beacon of justice and opportunity but was appalled by the idea of ending a life before it had even begun. This motivated her to become an active participant in the pro-life movement.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Edl joined numerous protests outside abortion clinics, attempting to dissuade women from going inside and ending the lives of their unborn children. She has been arrested over 50 times for these actions, often facing brutal treatment from law enforcement. Despite this, she has continued to participate in rescues, driven by her belief that no one should have the power to end another person’s life.
Despite the existence of the FACE Act, which theoretically protects houses of worship and pregnancy resource centers as well as abortion clinics, the Biden administration’s Department of Justice has largely used the law to prosecute pro-life activists like Edl. Since the beginning of 2022, the DOJ has charged a total of 40 pro-life activists with FACE-related charges at five different rescues, with Edl herself facing charges for three separate incidents. She maintains that she never committed any violence during these rescues and that her actions were entirely justified in an effort to save lives.
Edl is now facing a new challenge as she prepares for sentencing in federal court in Nashville on July 30, followed by another trial in Detroit on August 6. She is worried that she will not survive prison at her age, but remains resolute in her belief that human life is sacred and that government should not have the authority to permit what is forbidden by God. Despite the potential penalties, she will continue to speak out against abortion and do everything in her power to save the lives of innocent unborn children.
The FACE Act, passed in 1994 and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton, was created in response to attacks on abortion providers and clinics. However, many conservative lawmakers and activists have called for its repeal, arguing that it has been weaponized against pro-life activists while failing to protect houses of worship and pregnancy resource centers.
They note the hundreds of attacks on these institutions since May 2022, when a draft Supreme Court opinion indicated that Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned. Despite these attacks, the DOJ has charged only five pro-abortion vandals in connection with the incidents.
Throughout her journey, Edl has remained steadfast in her belief that abortion is the taking of an innocent life and that no one should have the right to end a life before it has even begun. She has compared her actions to the actions of someone standing in front of a train carrying prisoners to a concentration camp, attempting to stop it and save lives.
Despite being arrested and facing serious charges, she has continued to speak out against abortion, offering alternatives such as adoption to women considering the procedure. She remains hopeful that her message will reach people and, in turn, save lives.