In Sterling Heights, Michigan, seven individuals who are advocates against abortion have been found guilty of actions that obstructed a clinic in the Detroit suburbs during 2020. These individuals physically blocked the entrance to the clinic in Sterling Heights to prevent patients and staff from entering, according to the government’s case. The group’s actions notably interfered with a couple attempting to maintain an appointment for terminating a pregnancy after discovering that the fetus, at 14 weeks, would not survive.
Following a trial in federal court, the seven defendants were convicted on Tuesday of charges related to conspiring against rights and impeding access to the clinic. Additionally, two of the seven individuals were also found guilty of another access-related charge concerning a separate incident at a clinic in Saginaw. U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison emphasized that while everyone is entitled to their beliefs, they do not have the right to prevent others from exercising their legal rights as granted by the United States laws.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman stated that he will review a request to dismiss the conspiracy charge in the future. Defense attorneys argue that the charge is based on a 1870 federal law aimed at preventing the Ku Klux Klan from violating the rights of Black individuals. Attorney Steve Crampton criticized the Department of Justice’s approach, calling it a novel strategy to cause harm to peaceful anti-abortion activists through additional charges that he believes are incompatible with the law.