There is no disputing abortion matters to President Biden and the Democratic Party, and abortion opponents are therefore viewed as political enemies. That was evidenced in the unsuccessful attempt by the U.S. Department of Justice to send pro-life activist Mark Houck to prison after he shoved a foul-mouthed abortion clinic escort.
The latest pro-life activists to caught up in that effort could be four pro-life Christians who were found guilty April 3 of FACE Act violations outside a Nashville-area abortion clinic.
Eva Edl, 87; Eva Zastrow, 24; James Zastro, 25; and Paul Place, 24, face a July 30 sentencing at which they could receive up to six months in prison and thousands of dollars in fines, according to The Daily Wire.
AFN readers learned in a 2022 story the Department of Justice was prosecuting 11 pro-life activists under the FACE Act for their protest outside an abortion clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
Unlike the prosecution of Houck, who was not blocking an entrance and was acquitted in an hour by a jury, the DOJ had a better criminal case in Mount Juliet. That is because the protesters filmed themselves (pictured above) in a medical building where they blocked the entrance of the Carafem abortion clinic.
Reacting to the four convictions this week, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told the "Washington Watch" program the Biden administration is using abortion as a "launching pad" to try to maintain power in D.C.
"I don't think it's going to work,” he predicted.
The Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994. It prohibits demonstrators from any attempts to “injure, intimidate or interfere” with any person seeking “reproductive health services.”
In January, six others involved in the protest were convicted of conspiracy against civil rights and FACE Act violations, The Daily Wire reported.
Much of the government’s case relied upon an 11th arrested demonstrator, Caroline Davis, who accepted a plea deal and agreed to testify for the government.
Davis said she had a “massive change in perspective and beliefs” after her participation, The Daily Wire reported.
Judge Chip Frensly deliberated for less than half an hour before announcing guilt.
Norman compared the four convictions to perverted justice in thuggish Third World countries, such as Venezuela and Cuba.
"This is weaponization of our federal government aimed at Christians,” the Congressman told show host Jody Hice.
It is also a political decision, Norman said, because the White House is attempting to convince its base to cheer for the prosecution of pro-life activists while ignoring election issues such as the invasion at the southern border and crime.
During the trial, attorneys for Place said the trial represented massive overreach by the federal government, saying that the Biden administration was prosecuting “people who were simply expressing their beliefs in a non-violent way.”
The recorded video of the protest, which was used by federal prosecutors, showed the pro-life activists singing hymns and praying.
