On Wednesday the Department of Justice announced that a pro-life activist was sentenced to 41 months, or more than three years, in prison for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (F.A.C.E. Act) by allegedly blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic in New York. 

Activism and Faith

Beavelyn Beatty Williams is a 33-year-old Christian, wife, and mother, living in Tennessee. She gained public attention primarily for her activism and participation in various protests and demonstrations, often advocating against abortion and in support of religious freedom.

Williams' faith and activism led her to speak out in June of 2020, in the wake of then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) signing abortion reforms into law the previous year. The Reproductive Health Act legalized abortion up to the point of viability or any time after that, if deemed necessary to protect the mother's life or health.

Williams tells RedState:

Cuomo legalized abortion up until birth. He decided to do something extreme, so I used my voice in an 'extreme' way. It was a balanced response. Who would let you kill babies at nine months? What kind of human?

The Act also removed abortion from the state's criminal code, thereby decriminalizing the procedure and allowing healthcare providers other than doctors to perform abortions including midwives and physician assistants. Additionally, opponents argue that the reform removed penalties for those who harm children in the womb. 

According to the New York State Department of Health, between 2012 and 2014 there were 285,127 induced abortions compared to an average of 237,499 live births during the same period. This data demonstrates that in New York, more babies were aborted than born during the specified period.

For Williams the issue is personal, telling RedState that she conveyed to the judge in her case that she "was not standing against abortion with her nose up." Williams notes that communities she identifies with, such as Christians and Black women, make up a substantial margin of abortions performed, saying:

I had three abortions; I know the truth. You can abort the baby but you cannot abort the broken heart.

A Shocking Verdict

Williams reveals that both the verdict and the sentencing left her in a state of shock. She had a joint trial with co-defendant Edmee Chavannes who was found not guilty on all charges. Reflecting on the moment the verdict came down, Williams says:

It was so hard to hear:

 'Edmee, not guilty;

 Bevelyn, F.A.C.E. guilty.'

 I could hear my heart beating. I got hot, I just... I was in shock.

She describes the aftermath of her Wednesday sentencing in much the same way:

The first day it was hard to sleep, I was in shock. I would doze off, and wake up in shock. I just wanted to get home to my daughter so bad. I didn't want to eat, just get back to her. 

Speaking of the prospect of being separated from her young child for several years, Williams says:

I'm trying not to see my daughter as a clock, ticking away.

Legal Appeal and Support

For Williams, there is a brewing battle against time, as she is due to turn herself into a federal correctional facility on October 16. She has retained a new lawyer for her appeal, who she says is "passionate about what happened." 

This attorney represented her co-defendant during the joint trial that took place in February. Williams feels her prior counsel was inadequate, revealing that she felt the lawyer "didn't take it seriously," or use available evidence, describing the quality of her legal representation as "horrible." 

The pro-life activist continues to raise money for her legal fees and ongoing appeal, stating that her Give, Send, Go is not just a fundraising campaign, but a "show of Christian support, and that's important." 

Election Night Attack

While Williams continues to deny the allegations against her, she has also been a victim of severe violence for which she has not received justice. On election night, November 3, 2020, Williams was in downtown Washington, D.C., awaiting the results. After leaving Harry's Bar, Williams found herself seated with others on a nearby set of stairs, close to Trump Tower. Here she observed two "kids" she describes as being about 20 years of age, wearing backpacks, and "trailing" an older white male. 

She says the man was on his phone, likely watching for the election results--like much of America--when the pair bumped into him and started an altercation. Williams intervened, declaring to the young provocateurs:

In the name of Jesus, leave this man alone!

The male countered, shouting:

I believe in Allah!

Williams recalls that she was then hit in the face by a female and that her hair was out - in a naturally curly, Afro style - and it was being pulled, bringing her head downward. Then, she was stabbed:

I felt three hard pressure points, and then warm liquid rolling out my back.

Williams was lying down on the ground and trying to stay still to prevent further blood loss, when she heard a man shouting:

 They stabbed me in the neck!  They stabbed me in the neck!

Williams believed this was a man she had previously ministered to, and in that moment, she feared they both might die. She urged him to repent, unwilling to contemplate her own passage to Heaven while he faced the prospect of Hell. The man assured her he already knew Jesus. Later, at the hospital, Williams discovered that he was the very person who had assisted her earlier in the evening, while she was ministering to another man.

Her injuries included a punctured and collapsed lung, along with damage to her liver and bladder, which she reports seemed to heal "supernaturally" overnight, leaving her with just the lung recovery to contend with. 

Williams would never get justice, and she realized this early in the incident, saying:

What's so crazy... when it happened to me I was asking the cops if something was going to happen (to the suspects); they didn't really care. This is right by the White House, they keep that place on lock, full security. But, they didn't really care.

Facing the Future

While she did not perceive an eagerness from the police to pursue the suspects when she was attacked, Williams relied on her faith, believing that "Vengeance is His" (referring to God). She acknowledged that the scales of justice balancing on their own is an unfortunate reality.

Williams has hope that a Donald Trump re-election to the White House could help her case, saying:

Trump said that there is a persecution of Christians, and that the first thing is he going to do is be there for Christains. So, yeah, I expect him to be there for Christains.

Despite facing a challenging road ahead, Bevelyn Beatty Williams remains resolute in her convictions and unwavering in her faith. With her appeal process underway and continued support from her community, Williams faces the future with determination. Her journey serves as a testament to the intersection of activism, faith, and the pursuit of justice.

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