Justice… a word that once stood for something very powerful in our great nation. 

It’s defined by the Legal Information Institute as the “ethical, philosophical idea that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law and by arbiters of the law, to ensure that no harm befalls another, and that, where harm is alleged, a remedial action is taken – both the accuser and the accused receive a morally right consequence merited by their actions.” 

Yet on the morning of October 5, 2022, this was not the justice that Paul Vaughn saw play out at his home. 

Instead, on this ordinary morning, Vaughn was ironing a shirt for work, his children were getting ready for their day, and his wife was nursing their newborn baby when a barrage of unmarked agents surrounded their home with weapons drawn.

“Right as we walked off the back porch, we saw a man with an AR-15 walking towards us,” one of Vaughn’s children shared in an interview with the Stifled Cry Project. 

The FBI held Vaughn at gunpoint, placed him in handcuffs, and whisked him away — all without providing identification.

His children were left stunned and fearful for their father. His wife was left feeling lost and powerless. She had no idea what was going on, where to find her husband, or what she was to do next. 

“I think I said ‘Daddy’s gonna be okay. God is with Daddy.’ But what just happened to us was very wrong and that was evil,” Vaughn’s wife said to her children, following the arrest of her husband. 

If you’re asking yourself what could have possibly warranted such a forceful approach by the FBI, you’re not alone.

The Claim

This FBI raid occured one and a half years following a peaceful protest at the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 2021. On that day, Vaughn served as the mediator between a pro-life group encouraging expectant mothers to choose life and the local police, in sincere efforts to ensure the protest continued peacefully and productively. 

Though there were no charges or repercussions immediately made, the U.S. Department of Justice worked behind the scenes to draw up charges against Vaughn and 10 other peaceful protestors, claiming them to be violent extremists who posed physical threats to others. 

This week, Vaughn and five additional defendants were “each convicted of a felony conspiracy against rights and a Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act offense.” 

According to an article released by the National Catholic Register, the federal FACE Act prohibits “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.” It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. 

“This was a peaceful demonstration by entirely peaceable citizens — filled with prayer, hymn-singing, and worship — oriented toward persuading expecting mothers not to abort their babies,” Steve Crampton, an attorney for Paul Vaughn, said in a press release following the conviction. “Unfortunately, the Biden Department of Justice decided to characterize Paul Vaughn’s peaceful actions as a felony ‘conspiracy against rights,’ to intimidate and punish Paul and other pro-life people and people of faith.” 

The “justice” system described this group as “violent extremists.” 

However, a video taken of the pro-life group at the protest paints a much different picture. 

In the video, the pro-life group can be seen walking into the abortion clinic, sitting in front of the door in a narrow hallway, singing Christian hymns, and praying. 

The defendants who are facing such an upheaval of their lives value the sanctity of life. They believe that every person, inside and outside the womb, is created by God and has a purpose in life. They believe in standing in the gap and advocating for those who cannot yet advocate for themselves. 

It is for these beliefs they are being persecuted in the “name of justice.” 

Who Are They? 

Paul Vaughn: a husband, father, and business owner from Nashville, Tennessee. 

Dennis Green: a husband, father, cancer survivor, and small-business owner from Richmond, Virginia. 

Coleman Boyd: a husband, father, minister, and ER physician from Jackson, Mississippi. 

Cal Zastrow: a husband, father, grandfather, missionary, and full-time minister from Saginaw, Michigan. 

Heather Idoni: a wife and mother from Detroit, Michigan. 

Chet Gallagher: a husband, father, grandfather, and former Las Vegas Police Officer from Nashville, Tennessee. 

This justice-proclaimed act of “extreme violence” could lead to those convicted facing up to 10 ½ years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $260,000. 

Vaughn and the other pro-life defendants are scheduled to be sentenced July 2 of this year. 

“Biden’s Department of Justice has brazenly weaponized the FACE Act against normal, everyday Americans across the political spectrum, simply because they are pro-life,” Texas Republican Chip Roy said, declaring that American Citizens “should never live in fear of their government targeting them because of their beliefs.” 

Make no mistake, these convictions are meant to send a message from the pro-choice representatives to those who stand for life. 

These convictions are meant to instill fear and encourage believers to back down in defeat.

Encouragement 

However, let it remain in the forefront of our minds that we serve the one, true, LIVING God and He is still on the throne. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9 (NKJV).

Every preborn life is still knit together in the womb by our Savior and is precious in His eyes. 

Although we may not stand in a physical protest today, let us not fail to do our part in advocating for, and protecting, every preborn child that Planned Parenthood desires to kill. 

Let us use our networks to spread the word of the persecution that is taking place in the name of “justice,” and let us raise our voices in fervent prayer for those facing persecution and for the preborn. 

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” James 5:16 (NKJV).