A Sussex County woman recognized as a leader in the anti-abortion movement was sentenced to 27 months in prison for blocking access to a Washington, D.C. reproductive healthcare clinic in 2020.
Joan Bell, 76, of Montague, was convicted at trial in September 2023 along with two other defendants of felony conspiracy against civil rights, and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday also sentenced her to three years of supervised release when her term ends. The judge credited Bell with the eight months she’d been behind bars since her conviction.
Bell was among a rowdy group that blocked access to a reproductive health clinic on Oct. 22, 2020, with Bell specifically using chains and bicycle locks, one which she wore around her neck, to lock herself to others in the effort.
The technique is known as “lock and block,” one which Bell is well known for using and teaching in the anti-abortion community, prosecutors say.
A total of 10 people were convicted in the case. The leader, Lauren Handy, was sentenced to nearly five years on Tuesday.
In a presentence report, a federal prosecutor recommended she serve 33 to 41 months behind bars, describing her as a longtime and “iconic” clinic invader with 81 prior arrests with a “clear disrespect for the law.”
“Bell’s involvement in the conspiracy was significant,” a prosecutor wrote. “Her strongly held anti-abortion beliefs led her to travel to D.C. to participate in an organized clinic blockade. The blockade, which was broadcast to an on-line audience, encouraged others to commit similar crimes, publicized Bell’s own offense, and traumatized the victims.”
Bell and a codefendant William Goodman were arrested in New Jersey for blocking a clinic eight days before the Washington blockade, and she was among a group arrested in northern Virginia in November 2021 for similar actions at another health facility.
Goodman, 64, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months behind bars.
Moreover, Bell perjured herself when she took the stand as a defense witness in the trial of a codefendant, prosecutors argued.
“Over the course of approximately 30 years, Bell faced clear choices with regards to her activism: to engage in criminal conduct or engage in lawful protest. Bell has always chosen the former,” a prosecutor wrote in the report.
A Catholic, Bell was praised after her conviction last fall by Diocese of Paterson Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney who wrote in a column that Bell lived an “inspiring life.”
Bell represented herself at trial, but a Washington, D.C. lawyer wrote a presentence report, arguing she be sentenced to the roughly eight months she’s been in custody.
Although she has been arrested many times, Bell is not a violent person, and “abhors violence, aggression, and death,” and she had not used “lock and block” for about 25 years, the lawyer said.
“A more severe sentence – such as the one the government recommends - may result in Mrs. Bell dying in prison. She is 76 years old, and not in great health,” her lawyer wrote.
“As if that were not enough, it is no mystery that the food that is served in prison is not conducive to good health. Month after month of poor eating, especially at her age, will cause her life expectancy to decrease,” the lawyer also argued in the report.
Bell will use any time left on Earth with her six children and grandchildren, some who have special needs, the lawyer argued, while others can carry on her work.
“Younger people will take over any fight to save the unborn. For this reason, there is no need to further incarcerate her,” the report argued.
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Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com
