President Trump pardoned 23 peaceful pro-life protesters today who the White House says were unjustly targeted for prosecution by the Biden Administration.
In signing the pardons, Trump said what the Biden Administration had done to them was “ridiculous.”
“Twenty-three people were prosecuted, 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,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling the pro-lifer prosecutions a “dark period of our history” and “a grotesque assault on the principles of this country.”
He supported Trump’s plan to pardon the pro-life prisoners, saying, “He can right the wrongs that this last administration perpetrated. . . He can, again, renew the commitment that is found right there in our Constitution. That commitment to honor liberty of conscience. To honor the right to follow God, to live out our faith peaceably—which is exactly what these pro-life prisoners, still prisoners, were doing.”
The Thomas More Society recently sent a letter to President Trump contending that the defendants they represent had been “unjustly imprisoned.”
“They have been heartened during their imprisonment and unjust prosecutions by your repeated messages to them during your campaign, urging them to persevere until you were able to take office, review their cases, and free them,” the legal group wrote.
According to the Daily Signal, the Thomas More Society had requested pardons for the following people: Joan Bell, Coleman Boyd, Joel Curry, Jonathan Darnel, Eva Edl, Chester Gallagher, William Goodman, Dennis Green, Lauren Handy, Paulette Harlow, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, Jean Marshall, Fr. Fidelis Moscinski, Justin Phillips, Paul Place, Paul Vaughn, Bevelyn Beatty Williams, Calvin Zastrow, Eva Zastrow, and James Zastrow.
CBN News covered the case of Bevelyn Beatty Williams who was sentenced to three years behind bars. You can find more here.
The pardons come as tens of thousands of pro-life supporters are preparing for Friday’s annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.
We learned today that President Trump will deliver a video message at the march tomorrow, and Vice President JD Vance will be there in person to speak at the march in his first public appearance since being sworn in.
This year’s theme is “Life – Why We March.” Organizers say it will focus on celebrating the humanity of each person and highlight critical resources available for both mother and child.
Meanwhile, a somber memorial was held in Washington on Wednesday ahead of the March for Life. “Faith and Liberty” – a Christian ministry based in D.C. – hosted a “prayer and remembrance” vigil near the Supreme Court.
They placed 3,000 flowers on the sidewalk in front of the court. That number represents the approximate number of human beings whose lives are aborted each day.
Speakers offered prayers, reflections, and Bible verses focused on the sanctity of life.
Even after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, pro-life Americans continue to gather each year in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life.
Since the landmark Supreme Court ruling three years ago, 23 states have attempted to implement complete abortion or viability bans. However, courts have intervened to block these bans in at least six states.
