Six pro-lifers could serve up to 11 years in prison for the blockade of an abortion clinic in Tennessee back in 2021.
The six defendants, Coleman Boyd, 51, of Bolton, Mississippi; Chester Gallagher, 73, of Lebanon, Tennessee; Dennis Green, 56, of Cumberland, Virginia, 55, of Centerville, Tennessee; Heather Idoni, 58, of Michigan; Paul Vaughn and Calvin Zastrow, 57, of Michigan, are being charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
BREAKING: Six pro-life activists were just found guilty in federal court after being prosecuted by Biden's DOJ under the FACE Act for protesting outside a Nashville abortion clinic.
Here's a snippet of the protest, which occurred on March 5, 2021.
For the crime of praying and… pic.twitter.com/UPzZvtZebM
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 30, 2024
The 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.”
The six were also charged with conspiracy against rights, which is a felony. It prohibits the violation of a person’s rights that are guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
On March 5, 2021, a group of Christian protestors gathered outside a hallway outside the Carafem Health Center Clinic, praying, singing hymns, reading Scripture and urging women who showed up to not get abortions. They decided to protest in the hallway instead of outside the building because they were unsure which women entering the building were seeking abortions.
During a press conference following the arrest, Mt. Juliet Captain Tyler Chandler stated that the protestors were “peaceful and cooperative” and were also peaceful during the arrest.
According to government attorneys, the six, along with a group of other protestors, intended to block women from the clinic and use intimidation tactics. They introduced a witness who claimed that her appointment was interrupted due to the protestors.
In his testimony last Wednesday, government witness Corporal Lance Schneider of the Mt. Juliet Police stated that the defendants were “peaceful and not aggressive,” a similar statement to Chandler’s in 2021.
The trial, which began last Wednesday in Nashville, has brought in a lot of attention. According to The Daily Wire, the court gallery has been “packed” every day by friends and family of the defendants.
The fate of the six currently rests in the hands of the jury. Besides prison time, they can also face up to $250,000 in fines.
According to Live Action, this is the fourth high-profile trial of pro-life protestors to be charged with conspiracy and FACE Act violations for participating in a peaceful protest at an abortion clinic.
