Buffer zone laws around abortion clinics in England and Wales went into effect Oct. 31, prohibiting pro-lifers from engaging with patients, staff or others within 150 meters—or about 492 feet—of the abortion facilities.
The Public Order Act passed by Parliament in 2023 establishes these so-called Safe Access Zones and makes it illegal to take any steps aimed at influencing a woman’s decision to abort her baby, including offering counseling or literature, showing photos of babies—born and unborn—holding Bibles, and potentially even praying.
Anyone who does “anything that intentionally or recklessly influences someone’s decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment or distress” can be forced to pay large fines and face six months in prison under the new restrictions.
However, recent guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Services say that silent prayer will not automatically be treated as a crime. CPS claims that each potential violation will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis: “Prosecutors will need to consider not only all the facts and circumstances of the particular conduct but also the context in which the conduct takes place.”
The Alliance Defending Freedom UK launched a petition against the Public Order Act, which garnered nearly 60,000 signatures. The letter was sent to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and highlights recent prosecutions of Christians who prayed outside clinics, including Adam Smith-Connor and Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, director of March for Life UK. Both were arrested for silently praying near abortion providers.
Vaughan-Spruce was recently compensated after a trial found her innocent of any wrongdoing, but Smith-Connor was convicted and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £9,000 ($11,700 USD). He is also facing a two-year conditional discharge. This means that if he is convicted of any further offenses within that period, he will face sentencing.
Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, noted how concerning the Public Order Act’s vague wording is. “The right to hold a consensual conversation, or engage in silent prayer, constitute the most basic of human rights. They are protected robustly by international legal provisions relating to freedom of thought and speech.”
Igunnubole also expressed deep apprehension for the precedent the law could set for other areas of society. “This is a watershed moment for British freedoms, and one the public must not take lightly. A failure to protect thought and peaceful speech anywhere creates a threat to these rights everywhere. Buffer zones or otherwise, we should uncompromisingly safeguard the rights on which our democracy is based.”
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