A Tennessee woman has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for using threats and violence to disrupt the operation of a New York City reproductive health center during the early days of the pandemic in 2020. The woman, 33, organized a protest at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Manhattan in June 2020, where she livestreamed the event and bragged about it afterward.
During the protest, a worker at the clinic was injured when the woman tried to push a door closed as the worker attempted to let a volunteer enter. The woman was convicted in February of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, with the judge citing seven other criminal convictions as a factor in the sentencing.
The woman tearfully requested leniency, citing a traumatic childhood and a past abortion in New York City. She claimed to have found religion as a source of inspiration since then. However, the judge emphasized that committing crimes in the name of a religious cause is unacceptable.
The judge highlighted that the woman had threatened to terrorize the health facility and followed through with violence and physical force, preventing individuals from accessing health services that day. The woman had boasted on her livestream of the protest, stating that they intended to terrorize the facility and prevent people from receiving care.
Assistant U.S. Attorney revealed that the woman had also blocked access to clinics in Fort Myers, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta in 2022. The prosecution emphasized the importance of ensuring free access to medical care for men and women in the community.
