{"id":300118,"date":"2023-10-13T14:43:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T19:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=300118"},"modified":"2023-10-16T21:35:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T02:35:55","slug":"jailed-pro-lifer-wicked-law-ending-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/jailed-pro-lifer-wicked-law-ending-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Jailed pro-lifer says ‘defiance of wicked law is an essential part to ending abortion’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Almost one month ago, on September 15, Jonathan Darnel was <\/span>convicted<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>conspiracy against rights<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>FACE Act<\/span><\/a> violations stemming from an October 2020 <\/span>rescue action<\/span><\/a> at the D.C.-based Washington Surgi-Clinic abortion facility. Immediately following his conviction, Darnel and his co-defendants Jean Marshall and Joan Bell were taken into custody by federal marshals. They, along with <\/span>five other defendants<\/span><\/a> tried separately, are currently incarcerated at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center in Northern Virginia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Live Action News spoke with Darnel by phone on October 12 about how he and the other rescuers are coping with incarceration, prospects for appealing their convictions, and what the pro-life community can do to support the rescuers and end abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

STATUS OF APPEALS<\/b><\/h4>\n

Asked about his plans to appeal, Darnel stated that, to his knowledge, all of the rescuers have filed appeals, excepting possibly <\/span>Joan Bell<\/span><\/a>, who represented herself and might have difficulty filing an appeal from jail. However, Darnel noted that \u201cour appeals should affect her.\u201d He said they currently have what is called an interlocutory appeal pending; this is intended to effect their release pending sentencing, which still has not taken place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Asked whether he had any information about when sentencing might happen, Darnel responded: \u201cIt probably will take a long time. There are guys in here with drug charges and various other charges. Some of them haven’t been sentenced for months and months.\u201d He said one of his fellow inmates has been incarcerated for two years without being sentenced.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rescuers are only incarcerated currently because the jury deemed their actions during the rescue \u2013 in which all participants were totally committed to non-violence \u2013 to be \u201cviolent.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea that you would send \u2026 75-year-old women to jail for committing violence on somebody is laughable,\u201d Darnel told Live Action News. \u201cI hope the public recognizes what an enormous outrage it is. This should be a real big issue,\u201d he stated, adding, \u201cIt should be an issue in the presidential campaign. I mean, you just don’t do this kind of thing in America.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Darnel said he sees fellow rescuers <\/span>Will Goodman<\/span><\/a> and John Hinshaw on a regular basis at religious services held inside the jail, although they are in different cell blocks. \u201cWe’re handling it fairly well,\u201d Darnel stated, adding that<\/span>\u00a0he is \u201cmaking good use of the time\u201d while jailed. \u201cI’m learning a lot, praying a lot, keeping in the Bible.\u201d He is also improving his Spanish by studying the Bible and praying with Spanish-speaking fellow Christian inmates.<\/p>\n