Charges dropped against pro-life activists in Pennsylvania

Charges against members of the pro-life organization Red Rose Rescue were dropped on January 12 during a plea hearing at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media, Pennsylvania.

Key Takeaways:

• A judge has dropped charges against pro-life activists with Red Rose Rescue regarding a rescue carried out on July 31, 2025.

• During the rescue, the activists handed out resource information to pregnant women seeking abortion.

• The activists had been charged with two class D criminal misdemeanors, including defiant trespass and disorderly conduct, after entering the building.

• The abortion facility, which mainly uses the abortion pill, was shut down for the day.

• The activists entered a "no contest" plea, which the judge accepted, and each pro-life activist was sentenced to "time served."

The Details:

According to a social media post by Red Rose Rescue, the court "significantly reduced charges that effectively removed ALL criminal misdemeanors" against the pro-life activists. The hearing was in regard to the group's pro-life efforts at a Red Rose Rescue in Chester, Pennsylvania, on July 31, 2025. Dr. Monica Miller, Eric Holmberg, Patty Woodworth, Will Goodman, Christy-Ann Collins, and Joan Andrews Bell all took part in that rescue, during which they handed out life-affirming information to pregnant women seeking an abortion, as well as information to abortion facility staff on how to leave the abortion industry.

"On the day of the rescue, there were 6 unjust arrests: 3 pro-life counselors on the 1st floor hallway of the old hospital building housing the abortion mill; and 3 rescuers handing out roses inside the waiting room of the actual killing center," the post stated. "As a result of this peaceful intervention, this abortion facility closed for the whole day and NO BABIES WERE KILLED!!"

The activists were arrested, reportedly "subjected to rough treatment by the police" and spent days "in a filthy overcrowded county prison."

Miller, Holmberg, Woodworth, Goodman, Collins, and Bell were charged with two class D criminal misdemeanors, including defiant trespass and disorderly conduct. Local attorneys and those with the Thomas More Society entered a "no contest" plea. The judge accepted the plea, and each pro-life activist was given "time served" and criminal misdemeanor charges were dropped.

Why It Matters:

The activists told the judge that their actions were justified because they were attempting to save innocent human beings from being killed.

Dr. Monica Miller spoke to the judge:

"Your Honor, let me tell you something about myself. I am one of maybe 50 people who (have) actually taken the bodies of aborted unborn out of abortion center trash dumpsters. I've seen up close what abortion does to these innocents. I have looked on things the human eye is not meant to see.

We went to that abortion center to plead for and defend the lives of unborn babies, and equally were there to offer help, love, compassion, and understanding to the moms scheduled to kill their children. The unborn have a right to exist, and we want to work for a culture that accepts all human beings, that respects all human lives, made in the image of God."

Patty Woodworth added, "We shall keep working with confidence because we believe and know that 'the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome the Light.'"

The Bottom Line:

Such rescues are often considered to be in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act; however, Red Rose Rescue continues to carry out rescues in an effort to save as many innocent lives as possible.

While the activists said they respect the law, they also said they can't sit by while innocent children are killed.