(NewsWorthy.news) – Pro-life activist Paul Vaughn will not serve jail time after he attempted to halt abortion procedures at an abortion clinic in Tennessee, a judge has ruled. President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice wanted the activist to spend a year in prison, but the judge sentenced Vaughn to three years of supervised release instead.
Vaughn’s legal firm, the Thomas More Society, released a statement by Vaughan saying he rejoiced in “God’s plans”. Vaughn expressed his thanks to have the support from the firm, adding that they understand both law and the “spiritual battle” the country faces.
The father of 11 was arrested in 2022 by armed FBI agents. He was charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinical Entrances Act and conspiring against rights laid out in the FACE Act. The DOJ indicted Vaughn and ten other activists for the blockade they formed at the clinic in 2021.
The DOJ oversaw several violations of the FACE Act before Roe v Wade was overturned. The agency handled only one case in 2020, and there were three cases in which three defendants were charged in 2021. The number of cases in the state rose to 11 and involved 29 defendants in 2022. In 2023 there were 10 cases involving 22 defendants.
At the time of the blockade, abortion procedures were still legal in the state. Abortion has since been banned, bar a few narrow exemptions, at all stages of pregnancy. The National Abortion Federation, which advocates for reproductive rights, claims that the rise in such cases is indicative of the increasing violence and harassment experienced at abortion clinics following the enacting of strict state abortion bans.
The organization stated in its 2022 report that abortion clinics across the country had seen a marked increase in cases of stalking, arson attacks, burglaries and death threats.
Following the Tennessee judge’s ruling, Steve Crampton, senior counsel of the Thomas More Society, recognized that the judge displayed “leniency” towards Vaughn but claimed that the conviction is a “deep injustice” nonetheless.
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