President Trump pardoned 23 anti-abortion demonstrators who were convicted of civil rights violations and other crimes during the administration of former President Joe Biden. Some are still in prison; their sentences range from six months to five years.
The pardons come just ahead of the March for Life, an annual event that draws tens of thousands to Washington.
The demonstrators were found guilty of violating the FACE Act, which prohibits threats and physical obstruction at reproductive clinics or places of worship. When charged as a felony, it carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
To make the FACE Act violation a felony, prosecutors also charged some of the demonstrators with violating the KKK Act, a 19th-century law written to protect newly enfranchised Black Americans.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., asked President Trump to pardon six individuals. That includes Paul Vaughn, who said he was complimented by local police for the peaceful manner of his protest.
Vaughn told Congress about the moment he was arrested 18 months later.
“I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, staring down the barrels of both a pistol and an automatic weapon pointed at my head,” anti-abortion advocate Paul Vaughn said. “I later learned at the same time, three of my children, ages 12, 14 and 18, were being detained in the side yard on the edge of the woods by a fourth armed man.”
The Thomas More Society, an anti-abortion nonprofit law firm, asked the president to pardon 21 individuals. The group said those convicted are upstanding individuals who were targeted by the Biden administration.
“Only after Dobbs was decided did they begin rounding up pro-lifers, all around the country, for incidents that occurred years before Dobbs was even decided. And they’ve thrown the proverbial book at them,” Steve Crampton, senior counsel of the Thomas More Society, told the House in December.
In a speech in February 2024, President Trump said some anti-abortion activists were found guilty of “outrageous” charges and pledged to review the cases when in office.
