Three more pro-life activists were convicted Wednesday of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act during a 2021 abortion clinic protest in Tennessee.
On Tuesday, Paul Vaughn, a pro-life activist and father of 11, was the first to be sentenced to three years’ probation. Later, activist Dennis Green was also sentenced to three years’ probation, Coleman Boyd was given five years’ probation and Calvin Zastrow, described as one of the main organizers, received a six-month prison sentence and three years’ probation, the Associated Press reported. reportBoyd, who U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger found to be the only one of the four activists who could afford to pay, was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
The activists had faced a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison, but their lawyers argued that this was too harsh for peaceful protests. The sentence was ultimately lower than prosecutors had requested, and Trauger said:According to the Associated Press, “the court took into consideration the defendants’ good deeds in the community.”
Trauger acknowledged that the activists were acting based on their religious beliefs but accused them of using their faith to “give themselves permission.”They ignore the pain they cause others and they ignore their own humanity.”
nevertheless, “[a]”Around 200 supporters, including many parents and children, gathered and prayed outside the federal courthouse in Nashville ahead of the sentencing hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday,” the Associated Press reported. “They also packed the courtroom, where the proceedings were broadcast via livestream, filling the benches and spilling onto the floor and into the hallways.”
President Joe Biden’s pro-abortion administration Announced In October 2022, the department announced charges against 11 activists who “blockaded” the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mount Juliet on March 5, 2021. Lawyers for the activists said the activists were conducting a “rescue” and had gathered on the second floor of the office building where the clinic is located, praying, singing hymns, and urging women not to have abortions. The peaceful protest was Live Streaming On facebook.
Tennessee has since banned abortions, with limited exceptions, and clinics have suspended in-person services. according to To that website.
Six activists, including Vaughn, Zastrow, Boyd and Green, was found guilty The other activists convicted are Chester Gallagher, 73, and Heather Idoni, 59, who were indicted in January on misdemeanor charges of violating the FACE Act and conspiracy to commit human rights violations, which carry a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Trauger postponed the sentencing of Idhoni and Gallagher, who were scheduled to stand trial in Michigan in August on similar charges. Idhoni is currently serving a two-year sentence for participating in a 2020 protest against an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C.
The other four activists found The four defendants convicted in April of violating the FACE Act include Communist concentration camp survivors Eva Edl, 87, Eva Zastro, 24, James Zastro, 25, and Paul Place, 24. They could face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30.
Another activist, 24-year-old Caroline Davis, has already taken a plea deal and agreed to testify for the government in 2023.
Related article — Commentary: DOJ uses KKK-era offenses to extend pro-life activist’s sentence
The Biden Justice Department has charged 11 pro-life activists for protesting outside an abortion clinic in Tennessee.
Meet the Christian grandmothers and grandfathers who have been charged as “conspirators” in peaceful “blockade” protests and face up to 11 years in federal prison. pic.twitter.com/Drtoa4i2pk
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) October 6, 2022
Vaughan lawyer and the pro-life Thomas More Society Said In a press release following the verdict, the defendants said they were preparing an appeal and planned to overturn the convictions and challenge the constitutionality of the FACE Act.
“We are pleased that the judge granted Paul a lenient sentence at today’s sentencing hearing and we know he will be very grateful to be able to celebrate Independence Day with his family. However, his conviction remains a huge injustice.” Said Steve Crampton, senior counsel for the Thomas More Society and attorney for Paul Vaughan;
He added:
The Declaration of Independence, formally adopted on this day 248 years ago, contains this famous passage: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” On the anniversary of our nation’s Charter declaring these rights “inalienable,” Paul Vaughn and his co-defendants were convicted of defending the inalienable right to life. The weaponized and unsubstantiated charges brought by the Biden Department of Justice against peaceful pro-lifers here should never have been brought.
The event at which the Biden Department of Justice targeted Paul and his fellow pro-lifers was a completely peaceful civil demonstration, full of prayer, hymn singing, and worship, aimed at convincing pregnant women not to abort their babies. In response to Paul’s pro-life testimony, the FBI searched Paul’s home at gunpoint in front of his wife and children, and then used the full force of the U.S. government to indict him. We will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of pro-lifers like Paul to ensure that the Department of Justice never again uses the FACE Act as a weapon against ideological opponents.
🚨 One of the pro-life leaders targeted by the Biden Justice Department sent me this video of the early morning FBI raid on his home. Paul Vaughn was handcuffed in front of his children by armed FBI agents just before he dropped them off at school. Watch as his wife demands an explanation during the arrest: https://t.co/lUP6tJOSzW pic.twitter.com/XeYComC6mZ
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) October 7, 2022
Supreme Court Dobbs The decision revealed that the Justice Department and FBI Director Christopher Wray had prosecuted more pro-life activists than pro-abortion activists under the FACE Act. Hospitalized In November 2022, roughly 70% of abortion-related violence threats in the United States will be Dobbs The decision was a disadvantage to pro-life groups.
In response to the Biden administration’s aggressive prosecution of pro-life activists, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) Introduced A bill to repeal the FACE Act was introduced in September 2023,prohibit “Threats of violence, disruption and property damage intended to disrupt reproductive health services,” Roy said. The law was enacted to protect abortion facilities but has been weaponized by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department to target pro-life activists.
Former President Donald Trump Pledged Last year, and This year tooHe would set up a task force to review the sentences of “all political prisoners who have been unjustly persecuted by the administration” if Biden is elected, and in some cases pardon or commute the sentences.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X. Follow.
