[John Hinshaw, who served 17 months in jail after being convicted for peaceful protest at a Washington DC abortion clinic, is one of 23 prolifers pardoned by President Donald Trump on January 22, the day before the 2025 March for Life. Bernadette Patel recently interviewed Mr. Hinshaw for the Human Life Review.]

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and why you were unjustly incarcerated in the fall of 2023?

I am a Catholic husband, father of six, and active prolifer since 1974 who spent his “professional career” of 35 years working with marginalized people. In October 2020, I travelled to Washington, DC, to participate in a rescue mission at one of the most notoriously evil abortion mills on the East Coast. Pro-life rescues are completely non-violent civil disobedience, in the manner of sit-ins of previous generations and causes. When I sat down inside the late-term abortion mill of Cesar Santangelo, I knew I was trying to stop the murder of children, including the federal crime of partial-birth abortion. Little did I know that federal law enforcement was already conspiring against us.

Some people have criticized Trump for waiting three days to pardon everyone for the theatrics of prisoners coming out right before the March for Life. What is your take on it?

On Inauguration Day, when President Trump signed the pardons for the January 6 prisoners, I was expecting to be pardoned very soon after. But, when Tuesday was passing without the pardon, it suddenly dawned on me that Donald Trump, the master showman, was not going to waste the greatest pro-life audience of the year—those participating in the March for Life! So, I was not surprised when my fellow inmates told me late Thursday afternoon (January 23), before the March, that we were pardoned. Since being released, I have seen and read that some of my fellow rescuers, such as Lauren and Herb, were doubtful that we would be pardoned. I was never doubtful that Trump (if elected) would pardon us. Just two to three weeks after our conviction and imprisonment in August of 2023, Trump stood before the Pray Vote Stand Summit for Christians in Washington, DC, and promised them that he would pardon us if elected. He did not have to make that promise—a promise that he repeated several more times over the period of our imprisonment—unless he meant it. I may have doubted whether he would be elected and even questioned his commitment to pro-life, but I never seriously doubted that he would pardon us.

Do you forgive the DOJ and the Biden regime for what they did?

First of all, I must distinguish the truly difficult spiritual chore of forgiveness from the presentation of forgiveness in our cultural shallowness. Part of our problem (like so many others) is the enormous difference between men and women, which our current society denies. As a man, I accept that one of the (many) reasons women were given to us men is to help us with the virtue of forgiveness. To the masculine mind and spirit, revenge makes more sense and appeals to us more than forgiveness. I therefore expect that Joan, Paulette, Jean, Heather, and Lauren will forgive more easily than Will, Jonathan, and I. But that opens up a deeper subject than this interview is meant to serve, so I will sum up by saying that our churches have not helped us with this responsibility of every Christian. Jesus offered no exception— He demanded we forgive and keep forgiving into eternity. As difficult as I find this, I accept it from the mouth of the Savior, though I will need help in reaching it. But I think Jesus understood that forgiveness is a work that takes time, rather than occurring with magical immediacy.

Trump has become a polarizing figure for prolifers. On one hand he helped to overturn Roe v. Wade and free the prolifers. However, on the other hand he has vocally said he would not support a federal abortion ban and has been squishy on life issues. What is your take on President Trump in regards to his constantly shifting views on abortion?

As a politically active prolifer for many years, my perspective on Donald Trump is more nuanced than most. In 2016, when I supported others in the Republican primaries, I saw Trump disappoint conservatives by refusing to endorse policies that might hurt him politically. He also spoke very little about the abortion issue, but what he did say struck me as real. He merely said that he changed his position on abortion when a pregnant couple he knew were divided over whether to have an abortion; the one who wanted the child to be born prevailed and, in Trump’s words: “now there is a beautiful person walking around in the world.” Trump went on to do good things for the unborn as president, which gave more evidence of the reality of his pro-life “conversion.” Consequently, some of the silly things he said about abortion during the 2024 campaign, while dismaying, did not discourage me. His disappointing campaign rhetoric was just another avoidance of what he perceived to be positions that would hurt his political campaign. Separate from the pardons, I expected him to help with pro-life issues, which he has already done, this early in his second administration.

Just two more quick things I wish to express here—the first being that at this time when the malevolence of the Deep State is clear to any honest person (USAID, DOJ, FBI, federal courts, etc.), we are already hearing that Donald Trump is taking “revenge” against his enemies. Despite the naivete of many Christians, Trump is not engaging in vengeance; he is merely fulfilling his oath of office to protect the American people from the destructive terror aimed at them by organs of law enforcement. The FBI is the largest terrorist threat in this country.

The second is a gentle admonishment to Trump that, despite his determination to “manage” the abortion issue, he will find that (like Lincoln and slavery) he is not the manager of the crucial issue of his time. That the Hand of God is moving was demonstrated by the experience of pro-life rescuers and, while Trump has a role to play, it is the Author of Life who has dominion.

Trump’s DOJ has recently said that they will only pursue FACE cases if there is grave bodily harm or death involved. Why do you think the FACE Act should still be repealed during this administration?

While we certainly thank Trump for his commitment not to enforce FACE, a full repeal of this unjust, unconstitutional law is mandated by justice. Having watched the hatching of this federal law in the coven of Reno and Clinton, intended by them to persecute the largest righteous civil disobedience movement in the history of this country, I have been struck with horror at how it remains beyond reform/elimination. It came about to protect the great evil of Tophet. [Editor’s note: Tophet appears in the Bible as the location— near Jerusalem—of ritual sacrifice of children to pagan gods by fire. In Jesus’ time it was a perpetually burning garbage dump called Gehenna, a word that by extension was used to refer to hell.] No longer a federal “right,” it was never a law at all. Back to Gehenna with it.

How did you keep your faith strong in prison?

The question of how my faith was kept in prison—let me explain that I found this perhaps the easiest thing to do. Not being an exemplary Christian, I was astonished to find the “clichés” of Christianity were realities, not clichés. That God is always present, that He is most palpable in the darkest times, that He never gives a cross that can’t be borne, that prayer is powerful, that a humble heart is most prized by Our Savior, that we are given the ability to unite our sufferings with Our Savior, that the prayers of others, living and dead, are heard and can be felt by those suffering, that unjust suffering can be redemptive and, when offered, can assist Christ in changing the world. And so much more. In the last days of our trial, before conviction, I was accompanied by some friends to an open church for quiet prayer, and a message was laid on my heart: “If I send you into the wilderness, you will not go alone. I will go before you.” In prison, I had so much time to ponder all the unmerited blessings I have received in my 70 years of life, and the spirit of gratitude filled my days. As the days of my imprisonment dwindled down, I found a new Word spoken to my heart: “All those years I heard you plead with Me to do something to protect the babies, hear now My answer—what is it that YOU will do and give to save them? What will you risk? I called you out of the world—why are you so much in it? Understand that your faithfulness is part of My strength in the world. Where are you?”

You were unjustly imprisoned for actions based on your very vocal views on abortion. What would you tell someone who wants to be more vocally pro-life in their school, workplace, or even social life but is afraid of judgment from peers or professional repercussions?

To all those who fear dismissal, disdain, and disgust from their friends, family, employers, neighbors, co-workers, social media, and politicians for your pro-life stand—I exhort you to stand openly. The people who will mistreat you demonstrate that they are the ones who most need to hear your message! You may not even have to use words. Most importantly for you—find a pro-life group and join. Enfold yourself within a group of pro-life people so as to never feel alone, to strengthen your commitment and assert the rightness of your cause in your own heart. Among those previously mentioned great blessings in my life have been all the beautiful friendships with prolife people, which have made me a better person. And so many of them were with me throughout my ordeal.

Did you find it difficult or easy to make friends in prison?

I never had any difficulty making friends while in prison and was aware of no hostility (though there may have been some). Most pro-life rescuers experience sympathetic inmates who are shocked that we are sent to jail. I certainly became more aware of the need to reform our prisons as a part of law enforcement. I was called “OG” in prison (which stood for “original gangsta”) and when they asked if I knew what the letters stood for, I said: “Old Guy.” They thought this was hilarious, but I pointed out that their designation meant the same thing.

Any stories of hope or something that touched your heart while you were unjustly incarcerated?

The reason I will be writing a book is because there were too many experiences that touched my heart while in jail. One of the most profound involved two pro-life heroes, several members of my family, and several dear, old pro-life friends. The full story is too long to tell here, but I’ll give part of it to you. The darkest time of my imprisonment was around Thanksgiving of 2023, when the sadness of missing the family holiday was compounded by the death of my dear friend, the pro-life hero Chris Slattery. Chris’s wife Eileen had been a friend of mine for years before I (or she) knew Chris. I missed several nights of sleep after his death and agonized over the fact that I had not seen him since the previous March for Life, in January 2023. My grief was monstrous, and my resentment was great. Two things happened in the ensuing days to communicate Christ’s enduring love to me. One was the restoration of an old friend to me in God’s beauty, symmetry, and poetry of action, which I will recount in my book. The second was the early birth of my new granddaughter Charlotte Millie, referenced in my statement to the court at sentencing.

How can we pray for you?

In praying for me, please prioritize my journey toward forgiveness, as I openly admit that I will not achieve this without Christ. Please pray for the healing of the hurts my family endured. Please pray for my effort to aid the repentance and salvation of Judge Kollar Kotelly, who remains in ignorance of her peril. Please pray for the direction of my pro-life efforts moving forward.

As a very practical political activist, I will be pressuring the Trump Administration to:

• Support and enforce passage of a new Born Alive Infant Protection Act that will have real penalties against doctors who actively or passively kill babies alive after abortions.

• Support #justiceforthefive to assure just that.

• Investigate the media and political cover-up of criminal abortion practice.

• Effectively strip federal law enforcement down to the ground and replace all personnel that have shown themselves not to be trusted with such authority again. That means almost all federal prosecutors and FBI agents, not just their directors.

• Defund Planned Parenthood. If DOGE leaves intact the $700,000,000 given annually to this lucrative “business,” which also receives massive donations, then DOGE itself will be recognized as a failure, no matter its other good works.

• Fight whatever fight is necessary to reduce the scope of federal courts, where unborn life has never been given a chance.

• Work to remove the FACE Act from law, make certain it cannot be used again.

As an old pro-life activist, I see the political goals listed above as immediate priorities for our movement. And for that movement, I plead that we all remember our common brotherhood and sisterhood in this sacred cause. In prison, I felt the unity mold around us. Whatever our differences, be they in the realm of political ideals or religious practice, let us never forget that mothers and babies unite us. I trust the pro-life heart of prolifers who belong to a different church than me. I trust the pro-life heart of prolifers registered in a different political party than me. This is the unity a Culture of Life can be built upon.

Amen.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Hinshaw.

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Original Bio:

Bernadette Patel is a pro-life activist in New York.