Caroline Davis has been one of the government’s key witnesses against numerous pro-life activists recently convicted of federal conspiracy and/or FACE Act violations. Davis has participated in at least three pro-life rescues at abortion facilities across the country, and has subsequently testified against her fellow pro-lifers on multiple occasions in exchange for a reduction in the gravity of the charges against her.
Last week, Davis was sentenced in relation to her participation in a pro-life rescue at a Carafem abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, in March of 2021. She was given three years of probation, beginning retroactively in October of 2022, when she was first arrested. She was also ordered to undergo mental health treatment.
She successfully avoided both a fine — which, under her original felony charge, could have been as high as $260,000 — and jail time.
By comparison, most of her co-defendants are facing up to 11 years in prison. Eight of the nine pro-lifers collectively known as the “D.C. Nine,” who were convicted in association with a rescue at the Washington Surgi-Center abortion facility in Washington, D.C. — in which Davis participated — have already been incarcerated pending sentencing for several months.
According to the Daily Wire (DW), Davis’ sentencing took less than 30 minutes. DW also reports that Davis “‘sincerely apologized’ for ‘the crime I pled guilty to,’ and said that she had ‘harmed others for personal gain’ during the protest at Carafem. She said that her stance on abortion had not changed and asked [Judge] Trauger ‘for mercy and grace.’”
Federal Judge Aleta Trauger, who presided over the case, reportedly praised Davis, who has denounced her former pro-life associates as ‘cult members.’ Trauger called Davis “very articulate” and an “inspiring figure” and told Davis she was “proud” of her.
READ: Nashville FACE Act trial against six pro-lifers begins
Paul Vaughn, one of Davis’ co-defendants, was convicted for his participation in the Tennessee rescue and is facing up to 11 years in prison. He was present at Davis’ sentencing and spoke with Live Action News afterward, saying:
When Caroline Davis speaks “articulately” about her change of position on rescue and civil disobedience and claims that she now believes it is wrong to “force her opinion on others,” she is ignoring the unborn, unseen, and silent child in the mother’s womb.… This child, created in the image of God, would cry out not only in agreement with the “opinion” that she is valuable and worth saving but would cry out at the devastation [caused by] a culture which embraces abortion and encourages the destruction of our posterity.
Davis reportedly blamed her upbringing and other life circumstances for making her susceptible to the influence of pro-lifers attempting to reach women at abortion facilities. Vaughn stated:
Caroline Davis’ life, according to her testimony, does appear to be tragic. But the question is, “Who is to blame?” Does the fault lie with her pro-life family and the charismatic pro-life leaders who have firm convictions against the acceptable narrative? Or does it lie squarely at the feet of a culture of death that tries to sell the wholesale slaughter of 1/3 of Caroline’s generation as normal and acceptable?…
I grieve for Caroline Davis, and I grieve for every child who has been born since Roe v. Wade whispered this evil narrative into our culture. In opposition to that narrative, I also grieve for the over 50 million classmates and peers of Caroline who never had the chance to wrestle with these cultural challenges.…
Paul Vaughn and other pro-lifers convicted in relation to the Tennessee rescue will be sentenced on July 2. The D.C. Nine will be sentenced on May 14, 15, and 17.
