Eva Edl, an 89-year-old concentration camp survivor, may face over a decade in jail if found guilty on federal conspiracy charges in relation to her involvement in pro-life protests held at two Michigan abortion clinics. Edl and co-defendants Cal Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, and Eva Zastrow, participated in peaceful demonstrations at these facilities in 2020 and 2021, actions that the Biden administration in 2023 claimed conspired to deny clinic patrons their constitutional rights.
The defendants are also being charged under the Clinton-era law, the FACE Act, a ruling that ensures entrance to abortion clinics. If convicted, Edl and her co-defendants could each serve up to 10.5 years in federal prison and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. Besides these, Edl and Heather Idoni face an additional charge related to another pro-life protest they attended at the Women’s Health Clinic in Saginaw, Michigan.
Through the trial, overseen by Judge Matthew Leitman, an Obama appointee, Edl remains hopeful and credits her faith. “It doesn’t matter how it turns out, God wins in the end,” she told The Daily Wire. She also referred to her cross necklace, which she wore during the protests, noting it was the same one she wore when she and her family were incarcerated by the forces of Yugoslavian communist dictator Josip Broz Tito.
The Biden administration has been applying felony conspiracy charges against pro-life activists countrywide, resulting in sentences ranging from six months to over five years. Edl, earlier convicted on a misdemeanor FACE Act charge in Tennessee, is yet to be sentenced due to the ongoing Michigan trial.