A jury in Tennessee has found six individuals guilty of breaking federal laws by obstructing the entrance to a reproductive health clinic near Nashville in an anti-abortion protest that took place nearly three years ago.

The jury’s ruling, announced on Tuesday evening following a trial that lasted a week, is the most recent update in a highly publicized case that has drawn attention from conservative organizations. These groups claim that the government has been singling out anti-abortion activists using a law from 1994 that was originally intended to protect abortion clinics from interference and intimidation. However, advocates for reproductive rights argue that this law, known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or FACE Act, is now more important than ever in protecting abortion providers from violence in light of the recent revocation of the constitutional right to abortion.

The focus is on a “blockade” that took place in 2021 outside of a reproductive health clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, which is located approximately 17 miles (27.36 kilometers) east of Nashville. This occurred almost a year before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. According to legal records, the demonstration was arranged by individuals who oppose abortion and utilized social media to advertise and broadcast their efforts to obstruct the clinic from providing abortion services.

During that period, abortion was permissible in Tennessee. However, it is currently prohibited at any point during pregnancy due to a law with limited exceptions.

The prosecution claims that individuals strategically placed themselves in various areas of the office building where the carafem health clinic was situated. Some of them recorded themselves participating in a “rescue,” a term often used by anti-abortion activists to discourage women from getting an abortion. Videos from the day in question reportedly depicted individuals obstructing the clinic’s entrances and attempting to distract police as a means of prolonging the situation. Approximately 20 individuals participated in the blockade.

Eleven individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury for their involvement in a blockade last year. Out of those, six – namely Chester Gallagher, Paul Vaughn, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, and Dennis Green – were convicted on Tuesday. They could potentially face up to 10 and a half years in prison and fines of $260,000. The sentencing hearings will be held on July 2.

According to a statement from U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis, these defendants intentionally broke laws that they did not agree with. The jury’s decision is a triumph for upholding the law in our nation and serves as a reminder that we must abide by all laws, not just the ones we personally agree with.

The defense lawyers have announced their intention to appeal the guilty verdicts. They have characterized the 2021 protest as a peaceful and positive gathering, and have criticized the federal justice department for targeting “pro-life advocates” in the wake of the Supreme Court’s significant abortion ruling in 2022.

According to Steve Crampton, a lawyer from the Thomas More Society, the event was a nonviolent protest led by peaceful individuals who engaged in prayer, singing of hymns, and worship. The purpose of the demonstration was to convince pregnant women not to terminate their pregnancies.

Prior to the reversal of Roe, the Department of Justice only monitored a small number of instances of FACE Act violations. In the year 2021, there were only three cases with three individuals charged, and in 2020, the organization dealt with only one case.

In 2022, the number increased to 11 cases with 29 defendants. Last year, there were 10 cases and 22 defendants.

According to the National Abortion Federation, the increase in incidents is a result of the surge in harassment and violence directed towards abortion clinics due to the implementation of state abortion bans.

According to a report from 2022, the organization stated that abortion providers in the United States experienced significant increases in death threats, stalking incidents, burglaries, and arsons compared to the previous year.

However, an increasing number of conservative organizations and Republican legislators have countered these statistics by claiming that law enforcement has overlooked comparable dangers and aggression towards Catholic churches and “crisis pregnancy centers,” which provide counseling against abortions.

There have been demands for the Justice Department to enforce the 1994 federal law fairly and utilize it to probe individuals who target crisis pregnancy centers. Additionally, a small group of Republican lawmakers have proposed a bill to eliminate these protections entirely.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton enacted the FACE Act after a series of significant assaults on abortion clinics. This included the murder of Dr. David Gunn, who was shot outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida in 1993. This was the first instance of an abortion provider being killed in the United States.