The Department of Justice charged 11 abolitionist activists with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law which makes it a federal crime to “physically obstruct the entrance to a clinic or to use force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction, such as a sit-in, to interfere with, injure, or intimidate clinic workers or women seeking abortions or other reproductive health services.”
Following an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, seven individuals were charged with ” conspiracy against rights secured by the FACE Act, and committing FACE Act violations” after they staged a “rescue” at Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, blocking one of the entrances.
If convicted, those charged with conspiracy face up to “11 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. Others face up to one year in prison for the misdemeanor offense and fines of up to $10,000.”
