Four pro-life activists were found guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act Tuesday after peacefully protesting an abortion clinic in 2021, facing potential prison time and fines, according to a report.
A jury convicted the four activists, Eva Edl, Eva Zastrow, James Zastrow and Paul Place, after a one-day bench trial in Tennessee, with presiding Middle District of Tennessee Magistrate Judge Chip Frensly agreeing that the four had violated the law. The activists could potentially face one year in prison along with thousands in fines depending upon their sentencing, which is scheduled for July 30. (RELATED: Pro-Life Activists Face 11 Years In Prison After Jury Hands Down Guilty Verdict)
Christian pro-lifers sing hymns after conviction on FACE Act charges in Nashville pic.twitter.com/WduAxXZKsF
— Leif Le Mahieu (@leif_lemahieu) April 3, 2024
Before the trial, a group of supporters gathered outside the courthouse in the morning to sing and pray for the four, as Edl additionally told the Daily Wire, “Whatever happens, we are in the Lord’s hands.” Supporters also sang hymns after the guilty verdict.
— Leif Le Mahieu (@leif_lemahieu) April 2, 2024
The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged 11 people, including the four, in October 2022 for federal offenses connected to allegedly intimidating and interfering “with employees of the clinic and a patient who was seeking reproductive health services” at an abortion clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, on March 5, 2021, according to officials press release. While all 11 were charged with violations of the FACE Act, seven had been additionally hit with a civil rights conspiracy that carries a heavier sentencing time and fine amount.
The group reportedly gathered in the hallway on the second floor of the Carafem Health Center Clinic to pray, sing, and urge women to not go through with possible abortions. As photos were displayed during the trial showing the four sitting in front of the door, the activists’ lawyers claimed that the DOJ never provided proof that their clients had blocked anyone from entering or obstructed any of the clinic’s activities.
Four witnesses took the stand to provide their testimonies of the incident which included a former worker of the clinic, a police officer who booked the activists arrested, a woman who was scheduled for an appointment at the facility, and one of the 11 activists arrested, Caroline Davis, who had taken a plea deal, the outlet reported. Davis, who had been part of the seven charged with conspiracy, reportedly played a large role in the DOJ’s case after agreeing to testify against the group, stating she had a “massive change in perspective and beliefs” following the incident.
Six of the pro-life activists who were charged by the DOJ with conspiracy and violations of the FACE Act were found guilty in January 2024. While their sentencing is scheduled for July 2, they are facing heavier penalties with a sentence of up to 11 years in prison and possibly $350,000 in fines.