A 75-year-old pro-life Christian has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison over his participation in a peaceful protest at a Tennessee abortion facility.
Chet Gallagher was sentenced to prison in at federal court in Nashville on Thursday afternoon for his conviction on violating the FACE Act and engaging in a conspiracy against rights. The convictions stemmed from his role in a peaceful sit-in at a Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, abortion facility in March 2021 and the Biden administration brought charges in October 2022.
The government had asked for a 20 month prison sentence, but Judge Aleta Trauger ended up giving Gallagher 16 months on the conspiracy charge followed by three years of supervised release. On the FACE Act charge, she gave him six months, which will run concurrently with the conspiracy charge sentence. Gallagher was ordered to report to prison in February, but that may be delayed due to pending sentencing on similar convictions in Detroit.
During the protest, Gallagher and other pro-lifers sat and stood in a hallway outside the entrance to the Carafem Health Center while singing, praying, and urging women not to get abortions.
Jodie Bell, Gallagher’s lawyer, asked for no prison time to be imposed due to his age and health problems, and emphasized his Christian faith. She also submitted a letter in support of Gallagher from Tennessee state Senator Mark Pody, a Republican from Lebanon where Gallagher lives.
Gallagher was able to speak for about 19 minutes, where he talked about his background and how he came to be involved in the pro-life movement, during which Trauger told him, “just don’t preach to me.”
“It is not enough for me to have sincerely held religious beliefs,” Gallagher said during his allocution, adding that he was “a servant of the most high God” and his faith compelled him to action.
Much of his testimony discussed his move from working in law enforcement to pro-life activism.
Back in the late 1980s when he was serving as a motorcycle cop in Las Vegas, Gallagher said that he became convinced that action had to be taken to stop abortion. He said that he showed up as a police officer to a pro-life protest at an abortion facility in Vegas and urged his fellow officers not to arrest the pro-lifers who were sitting in front of the facility’s doors.
“As a police officer, I cannot walk away from a murder in progress,” he said, noting that his actions led him to his suspension and departure from law enforcement. After leaving law enforcement, Gallagher started engaging in pro-life activism across the country and speaking about his faith.
At the end of his testimony, he said that he recognized that he might be sent to federal prison, but that it may be a place of “fruitful ministry” for him.
DOJ lawyer Kyle Boynton fully pinned the Mt. Juliet protest on Gallagher, saying that “this blockade would not have occurred” with him. He said that Gallagher had a “uniquely concerning roll” and that there “must be consequences” for his actions.
Trauger largely agreed with the government, asserting that Gallagher and his fellow pro-lifers caused “terror and pain.”
When speaking with supporters outside the courthouse after the sentencing, Gallagher prayed for Trauger and said that it was “amazing” that a judge could justify “sending believers to federal prison for rescuing the lives of children.”
Heather Idoni, one of Gallagher’s co-defendants, is set to be sentenced on conspiracy and FACE Act charges on Friday afternoon.
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