Judge sentences remaining pro-life advocates convicted in Tennessee protest

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger handed down the sentences this week for the final three of seven pro-life advocates convicted of federal charges in connection with a March 5, 2021 demonstration. That demonstration took place in front of the Carafem Health Center Clinic, an abortion facility in Mount Juliet, Tenn., just east of Nashville. 

Who was sentenced? On Friday evening, Trauger sentenced Chester Gallagher, of Tennessee, to a total of 16 months of prison, the longest sentence of any of the demonstrators. The same day, Trauger sentenced Heather Idoni, of Michigan, to eight months in prison, according to a report by the Associated Press. That sentence is to be served concurrently with a two-year sentence she is already serving for similar charges related to a 2020 demonstration in Washington D.C. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery S. Frensley on Thursday sentenced demonstrator Eva Edl to three years probation, according to court documents. 

The other co-defendants who had already been sentenced included Paul Vaughn, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd and Dennis Green. All of them were sentenced by Judge Trauger in July. Vaughn was sentenced to three years of supervised release in July. Zastrow received six months in custody and three years of supervised release. Boyd was sentenced to five years of probation and a $10,000 fine. Green received three years of supervised release 

What led to the charges? The U.S. Justice Department said the defendants were convicted of conspiracy against rights.  They were also convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Federal prosecutors said the demonstrators formed a “blockade” outside the abortion center and blocked the entrance. But in a written statement after the convictions, Steve Crampton, an attorney from the Thomas More Society who represented Vaughn, called the protest “a peaceful demonstration by entirely peaceable citizens—filled with prayer, hymn-singing, and worship—oriented toward persuading expectant mothers not to abort their babies.”

What is the FACE Act? The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. The U.S. Department of Justice states on its website that the federal legislation “prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damages intended to interfere with reproductive health care services.” Crampton says the Biden administration is unlawfully using the act to intimidate pro-life activists and people of faith. 

Dig deeper:  Read my report for on Vaughn's sentencing.