After a week-long trial, a federal jury in Nashville, Tennessee found six pro-life demonstrators guilty Tuesday of violating the so-called Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) for blocking access to an abortion clinic in a nearby city three years ago.
Chester Gallagher, Paul Vaughn, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, and Dennis Green were each charged with one count of violating the FACE Act and one count of engaging in a “conspiracy against rights.” They each face up to 10 1/2 years in prison and fines of up to $260,000. Sentencing hearings will take place on July 2.
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.”
A federal grand jury initially indicted 11 people in October 2022. Four remaining defendants are scheduled to subsequently stand trial for misdemeanor violations of the FACE Act. An additional original defendant turned state’s witness and was not prosecuted.
The jury’s decision marks the latest development in a case that has been closely watched by conservative groups, who have accused the federal government of unfairly targeting abortion opponents by using a 1994 federal law designed
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