Nashville Jury Finds 6 Pro-Life Activists Guilty of Violating FACE Act

The convicted face years in prison for protesting abortion, which is no longer legal in Tennessee

Pro-life advocate Paul Vaughn (C) holds a Bible on Cal Zastrow's back as they stand with others outside the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, Tenn., minutes after they were found guilty of violating the federal FACE Act, on Jan. 30, 2023. Courtesy of Amanda Place

The six pro-life advocates facing more than a decade in federal prison heard back from a Nashville jury of five men and 11 women on Jan. 30 with a verdict of guilty on all counts. They were not taken into custody and will be sentenced on July 2.

They were charged with felony violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrance (FACE) Act, and conspiracy to violate the FACE Act for trying to talk women out of aborting their babies at a now-closed abortion clinic. They were among a group who read from the Bible, sang church hymns, and in some cases, blocked the door to Carafem Health Center in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.