CNA Staff, Jan 31, 2024 / 10:40 am (CNA).
Half a dozen pro-life activists on Tuesday were found guilty of violating a federal law that forbids protesters from blocking the entrances to abortion clinics.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release that the six defendants in the Nashville, Tennessee, federal trial were “each convicted of a felony conspiracy against rights and a Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act offense.”
The federal FACE Act prohibits “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.” It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994.
The defendants had been charged with a blockade that occurred at the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, in 2021.
The government said in its press release this week that the defendants — Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, Paul Vaughn, and Dennis Green — had “engaged in a conspiracy to prevent the clinic employees from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services.”
The defendants will be sentenced on July 2. They “each face up to a maximum of 10 and a half years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $260,000,” the Department of Justice said.
Steve Crampton, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society and an attorney for Paul Vaughn, said in a press release afterward that the group was “of course, disappointed with the outcome.”
“This was a peaceful demonstration by entirely peaceable citizens — filled with prayer, hymn-singing, and worship — oriented toward persuading expecting mothers not to abort their babies,” Crampton said.
“Unfortunately, the Biden Department of Justice decided to characterize Paul Vaughn’s peaceful actions as a felony ‘conspiracy against rights,’ to intimidate and punish Paul and other pro-life people and people of faith.”
The Thomas More Society is “expected to announce that they will appeal the conviction” of Vaughn, the press release said.
The government said in October 2022 that it had charged a total of 11 individuals in connection with the incident. Additional defendants were hit with similar charges under the FACE Act without the “conspiracy against rights” charges.
The blockade for which the defendants were convicted was documented in a March 5, 2021, video posted on Facebook. The footage showed a large group of pro-life activists ranging from elderly to young children walking into an abortion clinic and blocking access to the door by sitting in front of it. The video showed the pro-life activists singing Christian hymns and praying. Police can be seen demanding they leave the clinic.
In August of last year, five other pro-life advocates who entered a Washington, D.C., abortion facility as part of a “rescue” in October 2020 were also convicted under the FACE Act.
More than two dozen House Republicans in September introduced a resolution to repeal the FACE Act. Texas Rep. Chip Roy argued at the time that American citizens “should never live in fear of their government targeting them because of their beliefs.”
“Yet, Biden’s Department of Justice has brazenly weaponized the FACE Act against normal, everyday Americans across the political spectrum, simply because they are pro-life,” he argued.
In recent years perhaps the most notable FACE Act charge was made against Mark Houck, a Pennsylvania father of seven who made national headlines when he was arrested by armed authorities at his home on Sept. 23, 2022.
Houck was eventually cleared of all charges.
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What’s wrong with Biden? Heading very soon for the wooden box and he pushes the death squad like there’s no tomorrow? Does he not realise judgement is awaiting him?
His dementia can’t be that bad?
When you have Francis telling you you’re a good Catholic, why should he doubt himself. Megalomaniacs tend to affirm each other, and humanity suffers by the billions.
Any comment from local Bishop, Arch Bishop on this travesty. They should be leading the way to repeal the FACE Act.
It is so typical of the democrat party and its willing minions that they would persecute people for the “crime” of praying, and trying to convince women that they would have some support if they chose not to murder their baby. For murder it is. The time to think about the consequences of pregnancy is BEFORE you jump into bed with someone. Not after. It would seem too few of these women have the ability to connect the dots. The ever growing acceptance in our society of sex at will, and acceptance of unwed motherhood for child rearing as equal to a stable martial home with two parents is partly to blame. This morality free behavior is a “right ” in the dems mind, to be jealously guarded. Anyone who gets in the way is to be destroyed. Meanwhile the democrats have no issue kneeling in support of rioters who burned down American cities and inflicted injury on police, and allowing criminals to loot at will, forcing many out of business permanently. What the democrats need is a set of actual moral values, which they currently lack. Their lack of such morals is the rot which is helping to decay the country more and more each day. But such people as the violent rioters will NEVER be arrested as they are a protected class of pro-dem voters, so for them, anything goes. Better to arrest the folks who are non-violent and praying, and who would never hurt another citizen. This is a blatant political persecution of conservative values. Anyone who cannot see that FACT has a problem with their mental capabilities.
Don’t forget the male often pressures for the termination.
Absolutely the case, knowall. Thank you.
They are guilty. They blocked an entrance. There is nothing peaceful about trespassing and blocking an entrance. Just because you don’t shoot or stab someone doesn’t make your action peaceful. They are guilty as charged and deserve time in prison. Same as people who block freeways: they should have the book thrown at them for disrupting peace and order.
So said the King of England when he sent troops to the colonies.
So should have said the FBI when the country was being looted and burned a couple short years ago.
Scott, you misunderstand the lawbreakers’ actions: They weren’t conducting a protest; they were using the least possible force in an attempt to prevent a series of violent murders. How can that be condemned?
“They should have the book thrown at them for disrupting peace in order.”
Abortion is murder. They were attempting to prevent murders. Your statement is pathetic.
Yes, trespassing is an offense but it’s generally a misdemeanor. Weaponizing the law to punish political opponents is a different thing from enforcing laws in a reasonable way.
“Blocked” an entrance?? Really?? Or were they just standing there praying?? Its pretty easy to walk around people. If it took an extra 2 minutes to walk among them, so what? Even if against the law, 10 years is an absurd time in prison for such an action. You can access a video of several illegals who this week kicked and punched police officers in NYC ( on film its easy to see one illegal kick the cop in the head). They were arrested and IMMEDIATELY LET GO. No bail, nothing.Certainly not the 10 years in jail these folks are facing. Democrats dont believe that violent criminals have to follow the law. Its beyond disgusting. So are the people that vote into office the people who support this fascist use of the law. Many of us are tired of having the law used in a clearly bogus way to suppress conservative NON-VIOLENT demonstration, and suppression of freedom of speech. The worst that happened here is that a human infant was allowed to live another couple of minutes. I guess in some “morality-free” zones, that qualifies as a jailing offense.These recent sentences are the clearest indictment yet of corrupt partisan leftist democrat party thought. They need to be removed from office.
Dear Mr. Walker: Just a guess, but thinking you work for the Biden Regime. Who else could make such a preposterous comment.
What book is it with which you desire to be violent towards those who pray while appealing to the consciences of those preparing violence onto death of babies? You seem to be a very violent person. Perhaps you need to visit these very non-violent people before they are sent to prison and learn a few things about a peaceful heart, mind, and soul.
But nothing has happened to the noisy protestors who’ve been blocking roads, bridges, tunnels, etc to support Gaza. Of course, abortion centers are much more worthy of protection than the public spaces of our cities. I’d hate to see the reaction if any prolife marchers strayed from their permitted parade route.