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Tennessee Pro-Life Activists Face Jail, Probation for Abortion Clinic Protest

Charlie Kirk Staff

10/02/2024

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Tennessee Pro-Life Activists Face Jail, Probation for Abortion Clinic Protest

Two of the three Tennessee pro-life activists convicted for protesting outside an abortion clinic are headed to jail, while the third received probation. The court found them guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act during a 2021 protest outside a Tennessee abortion clinic, according to World, a Christian media outlet.

The activists were charged with “conspiracy against rights” and violating the FACE Act, which, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, “prohibits threats of force, obstruction, and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services.”

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger sentenced pro-life activist Chester Gallagher to 16 months in prison and fellow protester Heather Idoni to eight months. Idoni, already serving time for a 2020 protest at a pro-life event in Washington, D.C., will serve her eight-month sentence concurrently.

The third member, 89-year-old Eva Edl, avoided jail time and was instead sentenced to three years probation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery S. Frensley on Thursday, according to World. However, Edl could face up to 11 years in prison due to another FACE charge in Michigan.

Steve Crampton, an attorney from the Thomas More Society who has represented pro-life activists, described the 2021 protest as “a peaceful demonstration by entirely peaceable citizens—filled with prayer, hymn-singing, and worship—aimed at persuading expectant mothers not to abort their babies.” All three activists had previously been convicted of another FACE Act violation for protesting in Michigan, as reported by CatholicVote.

In an exclusive interview with CatholicVote, Edl shared that she became a pro-life protester in 1988 after witnessing a group of activists outside a Georgia abortion clinic. She admitted she had not realized the scope and influence of the abortion industry in America until that moment.

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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.

Charlie is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show” podcast, which regularly ranks among the top-10 news shows on Apple podcast news charts, and is the host of the nationally syndicated daily radio show on the Salem Radio Network live from 12 - 3 PM ET.
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