Joan Bell, a 76-year-old grandmother and lifelong pro-life advocate, expressed immense relief and gratitude after receiving a pardon from former President Donald Trump. Bell was one of 23 pro-life activists pardoned on Thursday, a day before the annual March for Life rally. She had been sentenced to over two years in prison for her participation in a 2020 blockade of a Washington D.C. abortion clinic.
Bell described the moment she learned of the pardon as surreal, initially unsure of its immediate implications. Confirmation came later, through fellow inmates who saw her husband, Christopher Bell, on Fox News discussing the pardon. The news was met with celebration from other inmates, and Bell was quickly released. She expressed profound joy at regaining her freedom and reuniting with her family, mentioning plans for a "second honeymoon" with her husband.
Bell's conviction stemmed from her involvement in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) termed a "blockade" of a D.C. abortion clinic in October 2020. Prosecutors argued that she and other activists violated the 1994 FACE Act, which prohibits obstructing access to abortion services through force, threats, or property damage.
The activists were sentenced by a Clinton-appointed judge and immediately detained. Trump, while granting the pardons, stated his belief that the activists should not have been prosecuted, highlighting their advanced age. Bell expressed her gratitude for Trump's personal awareness of her case.
The Thomas More Society, which represented several of the pardoned activists, had formally requested the pardons earlier this month. Steve Crampton, senior counsel for the organization, celebrated the pardons, criticizing the DOJ's treatment of the activists and expressing relief at their return to their families.
In prior interviews, Crampton had raised concerns about the fairness of the trials, suggesting difficulty in finding impartial juries in what he described as a strongly pro-abortion environment in Washington, D.C. Bell also commented on the trial, expressing greater distress at being prosecuted for her religious beliefs than for her pro-life stance. In addition to the pardons for the pro-life activists, Trump also pardoned over 1,000 individuals involved in the January 6th Capitol riot and issued several executive orders on various topics.
