Three anti-abortion activists sentenced to probation after blockading Tennessee clinic in 2021

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three anti-abortion activists were sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation in federal court for their 2021 blockade of a Tennessee clinic.

James Zastrow, Eva Zastrow and Paul Place were ordered to serve the first 90 days of their sentences under home confinement. They were convicted in April of felony charges for blocking the main entrance to the Carafem reproductive health clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, a town 17 miles (27.36 kilometers) east of Nashville. Police repeatedly asked them to leave or move, but they refused and were eventually arrested.

A total of 11 people were convicted in the blockade, including six who were found guilty of more serious felony conspiracy charges for their roles as organizers. Four of them were sentenced earlier this month to sentences ranging from six months in prison to three years of supervised release. The sentences were less than what prosecutors had sought, and U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger said she took into account the defendants’ good works in their communities.

The 2021 blockade took place nearly a year before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Organizers used social media to promote and livestream actions they hoped would stop the clinic from performing abortions, according to testimony. They also wanted to use the video as a training tool for other activists, Trauger found.

Judges have agreed to delay the sentencing of three other activists. Eva Edl, Heather Idoni and Chester Gallagher are preparing to go on trial in Michigan in August on similar charges. One person, Caroline Davis, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in October and cooperated with prosecutors. She was sentenced to three years of probation in April.