A group of lawmakers has sent a letter to United States Marshals Service (USMS) Director Ronald Davis and Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters following troubling reports that several jailed pro-lifers are being denied necessary healthcare services while they are serving time in prison.
The letter calls attention to the situation of pro-lifers Heather Idoni, 59, and Jean Marshall, 74. Both women have been convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and “conspiracy against rights” for their involvement in blocking access to the abortion business of notorious abortionist Cesare Santangelo in October 2020. Idoni was also found guilty of violating the FACE Act during an incident in Tennessee.
The pro-lifers have been imprisoned since their convictions and recently received their sentences. Marshall has been unable to receive the hip replacement she needs due to “extreme osteoporosis,” while Idoni has been subjected to solitary confinement for sharing food and has suffered a stroke while imprisoned. According to the letter, Idoni has also failed to receive appropriate care for diabetes or her heart condition, and she has not received the heart medication prescribed to her after her stroke. Idoni has reportedly said she believes someone is falsifying her medical records and she is “frightened she might die.”
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In their letter, the lawmakers ask both Davis and Peters to give an account of the care Idoni and Marshall are receiving. They cite the U.S. Marshals Service Policy Directive – Prisoner Health Care Management which states: “All prisoners will receive medically necessary health care services. This is defined as ‘[n]ecessary to diagnose or treat a medical condition, which, if left untreated, would likely lead to a significant loss of function, deterioration of health, uncontrolled suffering, or death.'” They also reference a Federal Bureau of Prisons regulation code that states prisons will provide medically necessary health care to inmates, treating conditions that could “lead to serious deterioration leading to premature death” and could risk “significant pain or discomfort which impairs the inmate’s participation in activities of daily living.”
The letter is signed by Congressmen Chris Smith, Andy Biggs, Harriet Hageman, Chip Roy, Claudia Tenney, Debbie Lesko, and Andy Harris, M.D.
