In the wake of a series of arrests of pro-life advocates praying silently outside abortion clinics, thousands are petitioning the prime minister of the U.K. to safeguard the rights of British citizens.
This latest revelation comes on the heels of British military veteran Adam Smith-Connor, a Christian, facing conviction charges after being arrested for praying silently inside what was dubbed a “buffer zone” at an abortion clinic in Bournemouth in November 2022, CBN News reported.
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“Buffer zone” laws — known as public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) — set up a legal perimeter around abortion clinics in the U.K., blocking protesters from any form of protest or demonstration within 150 to 200 meters (around 500 to 650 feet) of the facilities’ premises.
He was sentenced in mid-October to a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 ($11,500) in costs.
According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing Smith-Connor, their client had been praying silently for about three minutes when a local council officer approached him and demanded to know the “nature of his prayers.” Soon thereafter, legal proceedings began against Smith-Connor.
You can hear more about his story from CBN News’ interview with him:
The newly published petition, with some 60,000 signatures, is calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to defend those who choose to pray silently and keep it from being classified as a criminal offense.
In the letter, authored by the Alliance Defending Freedom UK, the religious freedom advocacy group argues “buffer zones” have “quickly become thought- and speech-restricting ‘censorship zones.'”
“The slippery slope is clear; if the criminal law requires us to refrain from ‘offensive’ thoughts anywhere, there is simply no logical endpoint,” the letter stated. “Today, it’s pro-life views that offend progressive social orthodoxies; tomorrow, it could be gender-critical views and gender-critical buffer zones. A genuinely democratic society must champion diversity of thought and the free and frank exchange of views.”
Directly addressing Starmer, the letter’s signatories asked the prime minister “to refrain from issuing guidance that ignores the courts, domestic and international law, and the fundamental rights of the members of the public who put you into power” and “act urgently to ensure that thought is never buffered, censored, or criminalized.”
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