Witness testimony in federal trial of pro-life rescuers begins, with court’s bias on display

Yesterday, August 16, 2023, marked the first day of witness testimony in the federal trial of pro-life activists Lauren Handy, Will Goodman, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, and Herb Geraghty. The five defendants are charged with FACE act violations as well as an additional charge of conspiracy to interfere with civil rights, which carries a potential 10-year prison term. 

Charges stem from an October, 2020, rescue action at the D.C.-based Washington Surgi-Clinic, which is run by abortionist Dr. Cesare Santangelo. This facility was also the site of the recovery of 115 aborted children, including five late-term preborn children (brought to light by #Justice for the Five), by Handy and other pro-life activists in 2022. Santangelo was featured in Live Action’s InHuman investigation, stating that if a child was born alive in his facility during an abortion, “we would not help it.”

Inhuman: Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - Washington, D.C.

Five prosecution witnesses appeared yesterday. First to appear was a woman referred to by the pseudonym of “Ashley Jones” who went to the facility on the day of the rescue action. She was on day three of a 3-day abortion procedure – which could have been either a second-trimester dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedure, or a third-trimester induction abortion. This procedure was characterized as “care” that was “absolutely needed” by government attorney Sanjay Patel in his opening statement and was repeatedly referred to as a “treatment” by government attorneys, who also continually employed the euphemism “reproductive health services” to refer to abortion. 

Second to appear was “Sarah Compton” (pseudonym), who was employed as a recovery room nurse and “procedure counselor” by the Washington Surgi-Clinic on the day of the rescue action. This witness allegedly sprained her ankle as a result of her confrontation with the rescuers.

Third to appear was another facility employee using the pseudonym “Sasha Proctor.” She is employed as a medical assistant at the Washington Surgi-Clinic abortion facility. This witness claimed that, among the facility’s clientele, “we come across children who are rape victims.” This claim was also made in the government’s opening statement; however, data on the reasons cited by abortion seekers shows that only 1% claim to have been raped – only a fraction of this percentage are children, and the fraction of those who seek out this particular facility is even smaller.

In other words, it is logically safe to assume that this facility commits abortions on child rape victims exceedingly rarely, if ever.

This witness admitted that the facility commits abortions on trafficking victims, and said of the facility’s clients that “a lot of people didn’t want to be there.” Ms. “Proctor” also described the actions of one of her coworkers, who allegedly pulled out her rosary, touted her regular Mass attendance, and told pro-lifers inside the facility, “We serve the same God.” However, actual Catholic teaching has always condemned acts of abortion. 

Fifth to appear was Caroline Davis, who participated in the rescue action but accepted a plea deal, which reduced her felony conspiracy charge in another case to a misdemeanor. She admitted to having participated in other rescue actions, as well, including one in Sterling Heights, Michigan, in 2020, for which she was indicted. Davis described her relationship with defendant Heather Idoni, against whom she is testifying, as “mother-daughter.” This witness will resume testimony tomorrow, as proceedings recessed prior to the end of questioning.

Presiding over the trial is Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee. According to LifeSiteNews, she refused to strike for cause many potential jurors who admitted to having pro-abortion views. She reportedly defended inclusion of pro-abortion jurors on the grounds that “access to abortion is legal.”

Editor’s Note, 8/17/23: This article has been updated for clarification.