Orginally published by The Christian Institute
British pro-life campaigner Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has received R302 000 (£13 000) and an apology from the police after being wrongfully arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic.
The director of March for Life UK has been arrested twice by West Midlands Police for praying inside Birmingham council’s abortion “censorship zone”. In the first instance she was cleared by a magistrates’ court of wrongdoing, while on the second occasion the investigation was dropped.
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Now, with the support of religious liberty group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Vaughan-Spruce has reached a settlement with West Midlands Police.
‘Orwellian’
The pro-lifer stated: “Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads – yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the West Midlands Police, who explicitly told me that ‘prayer is an offence’.
“There is no place for Orwell’s ‘thought police’ in 21st Century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that. Yet despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces.”
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She warned that with “Christian thought and prayer increasingly under the threat of censorship”, the introduction of national censorship zones “will likely lead to further violations against the freedom to pray, or peacefully converse or offer help near abortion facilities”.
The Public Order Act, which became law last year, outlaws the offering of prayer and advice to women within a 150m radius of abortion centres in England and Wales. It has been reported that ministers are reviewing the previous government’s guidance on the legislation, which could include references to silent prayer.
‘Thought crime’
Former cabinet minister Lord Frost commented: “It is incredible that people have been arrested for thoughtcrime in modern Britain. I am very glad Ms Vaughan-Spruce has received compensation for her unjust arrest for this so-called offence.
“But if a recent report is correct, that the government is considering formally criminalising silent prayer outside abortion centres, then there will be further such cases, and then not just freedom of speech but freedom of thought will be under threat. It is hard to imagine a more absurd and dangerous situation.”
Lord Farmer said: “If pro-life thought is considered prosecutable today, what other thought crimes might face similar measures tomorrow?”
Scotland
Earlier this year, the Scottish Parliament voted through legislation banning pro-life witness outside abortion centres.
Under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act, people risk an unlimited fine for handing out pro-life literature within 200m of a centre, speaking to anyone about abortion, or holding a silent ‘prayer vigil’.
In 2023, Northern Ireland also introduced censorship zones criminalising anyone who hands out pro-life literature or speaks to anyone about abortion within a 100-250m radius of an abortion centre or hospital.
In the Republic of Ireland, The Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024 bans any pro-life presence within 100m of facilities where abortion services are provided, including abortion centres, women’s health clinics, and GP surgeries.
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