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Lauren Handy: Anti-abortion activist arrested after 5 FETUSES found in her Washington DC home

Officers were responding to a tip about 'potential bio-hazard material' at Lauren Handy's house when they found the five fetuses

Lauren Handy, a self-proclaimed anti-abortion activist, was arrested after police found five fetuses at her home. As per the Metropolitan Police Department, officers were responding to a tip about "potential bio-hazard material" at the 28-year-old's house in Southeast Washington on Wednesday, March 30, when they found the five fetuses.

Footage shows the police walking out with red biohazard bags and coolers filled with evidence after searching the home's basement. The remains were collected by the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The same day, Handy was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of felony conspiracy for blocking access to a Washington, DC reproductive health center in 2020.

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Handy, a director of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising group, was one of nine people charged in the indictment on Wednesday. According to reports, the group blocked access to the Washington Surgi-Clinic reproductive health center and streamed it on Facebook in October 2020. Handy declined to speak on camera Wednesday, but told WUSA9 she expected the raid to happen "sooner or later." Investigative Reporter Nathan Baca tweeted, "When I asked anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy what homicide detectives pulled out of her house Wednesday, she only said, 'People will freak out when they hear.' @DCPoliceDept now says it found 5 fetuses. @wusa9."

Ashan M Benedict, DC Police Executive Assistant Chief of Police, told reporters on Thursday that the fetuses appeared to have been aborted in accordance with DC law. "There doesn't appear to be anything criminal about that — except for how they got into that house," said Benedict. He further revealed that the investigation that led officers to Handy's house was separate from the federal investigation that resulted in her indictment. 

In the indictment, prosecutors say Handy called the clinic pretending to be a woman named 'Hazel Jenkins' who needed an abortion and made an appointment for the morning of October 22, 2020. When the employee opened the door for the appointment, Handy and the others forced their way into the clinic, knocking her over and causing her to injure her ankle.

The group then moved chairs and chained themselves together to block the treatment area and stop other patients from coming inside. Jonathan Darnel, one of the nine people, live-streamed the blockade and said, "We have people intervening physically with their bodies to prevent women from entering the clinic to murder their children." The indictment charges nine defendants with conspiracy against rights and clinic access obstruction. Charged in the indictment are Lauren Handy of Virginia, Jonathan Darnell of Virginia, Jay Smith of New York, Paulette Harlow of Massachusetts, Jean Marshall of Massachusetts, John Hinshaw of New York, Heather Idoni of Michigan, William Goodman of Michigan, and Joan Bell of New Jersey.

Laura Meyers, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, said, "They have protested at our facility on 4th Street many times and have been disruptive. They have harassed patients, they have obstructed patients and no one should have to experience that intimidation for trying to access health care," as reported by WUSA9. Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, where Handy serves as a director, tweeted, "We will address the claims surrounding the 5 deceased children found at Lauren Handy's apartment at a press conference in DC. Tune in on Tuesday at 11:30 am EST. Don't miss it."