A Christian grandfather began serving a federal prison sentence this week for participating in a peaceful pro-life protest, even as Vice President Kamala Harris (D) criticized former President Donald Trump for allegedly threatening to imprison those who “disagree with him.”
On Tuesday, 63-year-old Calvin Zastrow arrived at Federal Correctional Institute Thomson in Illinois to serve a six-month sentence for a March 2021 protest outside a Tennessee abortion clinic. According to the Daily Wire, Zastrow and other protesters peacefully sat in front of the clinic entrance, singing hymns and urging women not to get abortions. A Department of Justice (DOJ) press release referred to the protest as a “clinic blockade” that prevented employees from providing and patients from receiving reproductive health services.
While the DOJ did not accuse Zastrow or his co-defendants of violence, it did mention that two other protesters used stalling tactics with the police. Despite this, the incident remained a peaceful act of civil disobedience.
The prison where Zastrow is now housed has a reputation for violence, including multiple suspected homicides and suicides in recent years, as well as rampant sexual misconduct. Still, Zastrow views his imprisonment as an opportunity to witness for Christ. He told the Daily Wire, “If I’m miserable there and can’t sleep well, then I’ll just suffer with honor for Jesus. But if I’m able to get sleep and be healthy, I’m just going to see who the Lord wants me to minister to.”
Zastrow was convicted in January for felony conspiracy against rights and for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The Thomas More Society, which represents Zastrow in another case, condemned the Biden-Harris DOJ’s aggressive prosecution. “The injustice of sentencing such a man of peace to perhaps the most violent federal penitentiary in the nation is hard to fathom,” said TMS senior counsel Steve Crampton.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris expressed outrage in a Fox News interview over Trump’s supposed plans to lock up political opponents. “In a democracy, the president of the United States should be willing to handle criticism without saying he’d lock people up for doing it,” Harris said in her interview with Bret Baier, just a day after Zastrow reported to prison.
The Biden-Harris DOJ has aggressively pursued pro-life activists, including Bevelyn Williams, a 33-year-old Christian mother, who began serving a 41-month sentence for her involvement in a pro-life protest. Elderly activists have also faced harsh penalties, with three women in their 70s receiving prison sentences of up to two years.
While Harris criticized Trump for allegedly weaponizing the justice system, her administration has faced accusations of targeting peaceful pro-lifers, raising questions about the consistent application of justice in a democracy.
