The previous Conservative government's parliament last year approved legislation to ban protests, including silent prayer, within 150 meters (492 feet) of clinics and hospitals providing abortion services. However, this measure has not yet been implemented.
Draft guidelines published in December told police that silent prayer, as well as "consensual" communication such as handing out leaflets or engaging in conversation, should be allowed outside clinics or hospitals conducting abortions.
"Silent prayer, being the engagement of the mind and thought in prayer toward God, is protected as an absolute right under the Human Rights Act 1998 and should not, on its own, be considered an offense under any circumstances," the guidelines indicated.
As the new government reviews this guideline, officials will not specify which aspects they want to alter. However, all three Home Office ministers, including Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, voted against allowing silent prayer near abortion clinics while they were part of the opposition.
Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, confirmed earlier this month that the government plans to implement safe access zones around abortion clinics "imminently."
"The law was designed specifically to stop activities such as being present all day every day, staring at and approaching women as they try to access confidential medical care, handing out false medical information in leaflets, or standing at the clinic gate with rosary beads and candles," Rachael Clarke of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said, arguing that these activities are designed to influence women's reproductive choices.
"There's simply no other reason to be present at the gate to an abortion clinic," she insisted.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) U.K., a part of a U.S.-based conservative Christian legal advocacy group, has opposed government plans for buffer zones near abortion clinics which it said would mean a "further crackdown on silent prayer" and breach a protected right under the Human Rights Act 1998. (Related: Melinda Gates shells out $1 BILLION to promote abortion and feminism.)
The Home Office said it had not yet set out the guidance but was "committed to introducing buffer zones around abortion clinics as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council confirmed its Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was still being enforced. West Midlands Police stated it was brought in in 2022 "to deter protesters and protect the public from intimidation that their presence causes following numerous complaints from residents."
Woman arrested for "silently praying" outside an abortion clinic gets a payout
Several pro-life activists have already been arrested for praying silently outside of abortion clinics, including Isabel Vaughan-Spruce from Worcestershire and co-director of the anti-abortion campaign group March for Life U.K., who was arrested last October. She was accused of breaching a PSPO outside the clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham.
Vaughan-Spruce received legal support from ADF U.K. to fight her civil case. Her charges were dropped later as she claimed that police actions breached her human rights.
Now, she gets redemption and a payout. She received 13,000 British pounds ($17,000) from West Midlands Police, which said it settled her civil claim "without any admission of liability," adding the city council brought in the PSPO to deter protesters.
The BBC reported that Vaughan-Spruce, as a "crisis pregnancy support volunteer" for 20 years, had offered leaflets about charitable services available to women who would rather avoid abortion. But she "found it particularly shocking" to be accused of intimidating action, as she "would condemn anyone who tries to intimidate or harass women."
As per the Home Office: "Protecting women's rights is a priority for this government and anyone exercising their legal right to access abortion services must be free from harassment and intimidation."
According to the news outlet, the campaigner was arrested in November 2022 when the center was shut with no service users present.
"I was there simply to pray for women facing very difficult situations and decisions. Prayer isn't a crime. Neither is standing," she said.
Citing a survey about reproductive coercion, Vaughan-Spruce said 15 percent of the 1,000 U.K. women surveyed had experienced pressure to terminate a pregnancy. These women could face pressure from a partner or economic pressure, she noted. According to Vaughan-Spruce, she had helped dozens of women "who wanted to have other options than abortions available to them" for years.
Birmingham priest, Father Sean Gough, was also charged in 2022 with violating the law and "intimidating service users" for standing near an abortion center while silently praying and holding a sign that read "Praying for Freedom of Speech." Gough said the (then-Conservative) government was "censoring the streets of the United Kingdom." The charges against him were dropped in February 2023.
Head over to Abortions.news to read more about anti-life governments' push to suppress pro-lifers' free speech.
Watch the video below that shows the anti-life organization Planned Parenthood's mobile abortion truck at the recent Democratic National Convention 2024.
This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
NO CHOICE AND NO LIFE: Study finds mRNA COVID-19 vaccines increase risk of spontaneous abortions.
Tim Walz left EIGHT babies who survived botched abortions to DIE, government data.
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