Anti-abortion activist jailed for blockading US clinic

An anti-abortion activist has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for blockading a clinic in Washington DC to stop patient access.

Lauren Handy, 30, led a group that forced entry into the Surgi-Clinic in 2020, injuring a nurse, before spending several hours inside.

She was one of several people convicted of civil rights offences last year over the incident.

Police later discovered five foetuses at her home after she was indicted.

Handy, a leader of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) group who describes herself as a “Catholic anarchist”, was found guilty in August 2023 and sentenced on Tuesday.

She had denied a charge of using force to obstruct reproductive health care services, a crime under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

Her trial heard that she had made an abortion appointment at the clinic on 22 October 2020, using the name Hazel Jenkins.

When she arrived, she and several others forced their way into the clinic. A nurse sprained her ankle when one of the group forced their way in.

The group remained inside for several hours, livestreaming the blockade on Facebook as they linked arms and used furniture, locks and chains to block the clinic’s doors.

Handy and eight others were eventually arrested and charged with conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate patients and employees.

US Attorney Matthew Graves said her conviction showed that “people cannot resort to using force… simply because they disagree with the law”.

Two others members of the group have been sentenced to 21 months and 27 months in prison for their roles. Six more are due to be sentenced later this month.

Handy will serve three years of her sentence on supervised release.