Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
No.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign provided no evidence, and we found none, to back Trump’s claim that the Biden-Harris administration imprisoned anti-abortion activists for praying in public.
Referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said Sept. 7, 2024, in Mosinee, Wisconsin: “Under Comrade Kamala, Christians and pro-life activists are rotting in prison for the crime of praying in public.”
Similar prayer claims were debunked after Massachusetts anti-abortion activist Paulette Harlow was sentenced in June to two years in prison for blockading a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic.
Federal law prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services.
In April, Wisconsin Watch found it was false that Colorodan Rebecca Lavrenz was prosecuted for praying in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
She was convicted of four misdemeanors, including entering and remaining, and disorderly conduct, in a restricted building.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
WFAA: Donald Trump full rally in Mosinee, WI (Sept. 7, 2024)
USA Today: No, woman not imprisoned for praying at abortion clinic
Associated Press: Anti-abortion activist convicted for blockading a reproductive health clinic, not for praying there
Reuters: Fact Check: Paulette Harlow convicted for blocking abortion clinic, not praying
U.S. Justice Department: Protecting Patients and Health Care Providers
Wisconsin Watch: Was great-grandmother prosecuted for praying in Capitol Jan. 6?
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