Get a free copy of Parental Rights & Education when you subscribe to our newsletter!
The new law, passed in March, now takes effect, even as pro-lifer Adam Smith-Connor appeals his conviction for silently praying near the abortion clinic where his unborn son was killed.
[UPDATE] Late last week, the U.K. government, with guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), implemented censorship zones across the entirety of England and Wales that ban protests within 150 meters (492 feet) of an abortion clinic.
CPS officials claim that silent prayer is “not necessarily a criminal offence” under the new law, but that suggestion comes just two weeks after Adam Smith-Connor, an Army veteran, was convicted for silently praying inside of one of those “buffer zones.”
Previously, these censorship zone laws were limited to a few localities. Nonetheless, police had been aggressive in enforcing them, leading to numerous arrests of people who were silently praying or holding a sign featuring a Bible verse. Among those arrested and interrogated were pastors and priests.
The situation got darker in March 2023, when Parliament voted to expand the “Public Spaces Protection Order” to all of England and Wales. Moreover, lawmakers voted down an amendment that would have allowed silent prayer inside the zones.
Nonetheless, as the censorship zones, which may or may not be marked, went live last Friday, CPS made it a point to confirm that silent prayer isn’t automatically a violation of the legislation. It issued guidance to police departments, stating that while silent prayer and other nonviolent actions could fall under the law, “factual questions” could arise as to whether the prayer is a protest.
“A person who carries out any of these activities [including silent prayer] within a safe access zone will not necessarily commit a criminal offence,” CPS stated. “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.”
It stated that prosecutors would need to show “intent” or “recklessness” in that the silent prayer was meant to influence, harass, or disturb a woman entering an abortion clinic.
In the case of Smith-Connor, CPS argued in court that he had such an intent. The Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council ultimately ruled against Smith-Connor, citing his known pro-life views and that people could have known he was praying because part of the time his head may have been slightly bowed and his hands clasped at his waist. The court said he deserved to be punished due to his “disapproval of abortion.”
During sentencing, Smith-Connor was fined £9,000, or $11,686, but given conditional release, meaning he won’t go to jail unless he gets into any other trouble with the law.
Smith-Connor and his legal representation Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) U.K. announced last week that they are appealing the case.
They claim he was not overt in his action, saying that his eyes were open, he was standing in a normal position, and his back was to the entrance.
Nonetheless, Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF U.K., gave credit to CPS for its recent guidance on silent prayer, saying,
“This is commonsense and consistent with the absolute right to freedom of thought protected under domestic and international law. Previous Home Secretaries and the magistrates’ court have repeatedly concluded that silent prayer, within itself, cannot constitute a criminal offence. Now that CPS guidance has recognized the same, it is incumbent on police officers and local authorities to refrain from ideological and discriminatory interpretations which seek to criminalise prayer itself rather than overt conduct amounting to harassment and intimidation.”
He continued,
“It’s for this reason that we are glad to support Adam as he pursues an appeal of his conviction for praying silently without engaging anyone or being obtrusive in any way. This is a watershed moment for British freedoms, and one the public must not take lightly. A failure to protect thought and peaceful conduct anywhere creates a threat to these rights everywhere. Buffer zones or otherwise, we should uncompromisingly safeguard the rights on which our democracy is based.”
Smith-Connor was first arrested in October 2022 for violating a buffer zone law near an abortion clinic. He was praying silently for the son who had been aborted there 22 years prior.
A similar abortion buffer zone law took effect in Scotland in September 2024.
{Published on January 20, 2023} Adam Smith-Connor is taking legal action against the U.K. government after he was fined for praying silently near an abortion clinic, marking the second time in a month that a British citizen has been targeted by law enforcement for committing thought crimes.
Authorities in southern England began enforcing censorial “buffer zones” around abortion facilities on October 13, 2022. In November, British Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor ran afoul of the law. He was praying close to an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, keeping his back turned to respect the privacy of those inside. He was then approached by police who asked him, “Can I ask what is the nature of your prayer today?”
He replied that he was praying for his son, who was killed in an abortion. “I’m sorry for your loss, but ultimately, I have to go along with the guidelines of the Public Space Protection Order to say that we are in the belief, therefore, that you are in breach of the PSPO, which says about prayer and also acts of disapproval,” the officer said.
Smith-Connor was fined 100 pounds (or about $123). The fine was punishment for praying in a “censorship zone” established around abortion clinics in parts of the U.K. Inside of these areas, criminal activity includes “engaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval.” That includes by “verbal or written means, prayer or counselling.”
Smith-Connor, who is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom U.K., is challenging the fine.
He provided details as to why he was praying in front of the abortion clinic, explaining,
“Twenty-two years ago, I drove my ex-girlfriend to a facility and paid for her to have an abortion. It was a pivotal moment in my life. The consequences of my actions that day came back to grieve me years later, when I realized I had lost my son, Jacob, to an abortion I had paid for. Recently, I stood outside a similar facility and prayed to God for my son, Jacob, for other babies who have lost their lives to abortion, for their grieving families, and for abortion clinic staff.”
He continued,
“I would never have imagined being in a position to risk a criminal record for praying silently. In the past, I assisted with abortions in [the] hospital as part of my army medical training, but now I pray for those who perform abortions because I [realize] how harmful abortion is to women and families, and that every single human life is valuable—no matter how small. Most of all, I’m moved to pray because of what happened to my son, Jacob.”
ADF U.K. is also representing Isabel Vaughn-Spruce in another case involving illegal prayer near an abortion clinic.
In Kings Norton, Birmingham, Vaughn-Spruce, a charity volunteer, was praying silently near an abortion facility. She was approached by police officers after they received a complaint that she might be praying silently in her mind.
Police searched Vaughn-Spruce and arrested her. She was then taken to the police station where police showed her pictures of herself near the abortion clinic and asked her if she was praying when the pictures were taken. She responded that she wasn’t sure if she was praying or whether she was thinking about something else. She has since been charged with “protesting and engaging in an act that is intimidating to service users.”
Vaughn-Spruce said,
“I have devoted much of my life to supporting women in crisis pregnancies with everything that they need to make an empowered choice for motherhood. I am also involved in supporting women who have had abortions and are struggling with the consequences of it. I’ve grown close to many of the women I’ve been able to support over the years, and it breaks my heart to know that so many more go through this every day.”
She added,
“My faith is a central part of who I am, so sometimes I’ll stand or walk near an abortion facility and pray about this issue. This is something I’ve done pretty much every week for around the last 20 years of my life. I pray for my friends who have experienced abortion, and for the women who are thinking about going through it themselves.”
Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom U.K., which is representing Vaughn-Spruce, said,
“A mature democracy should be able to differentiate between criminal conduct and the peaceful exercise of constitutionally protected rights. Isabel, a woman of good character, and who has tirelessly served her community by providing charitable assistance to vulnerable women and children, has been treated no better than a violent criminal. The recent increase in buffer zone legislation and orders is a watershed moment in our country. We must ask ourselves whether we are a genuinely democratic country committed to protecting the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of speech. We are at serious risk of mindlessly sleepwalking into a society that accepts, normalizes, and even promotes the ‘tyranny of the majority.’”
More censorship zones are being considered for other parts of England, as well as Wales. The legislation currently being debated would ban pro-life volunteers from influencing, persuading, informing, occupying space, or expressing an opinion near an abortion clinic. Those who break the anti-thought law could face two years in prison.
This is where censorship leads. The U.K. has enthusiastically embraced censorship laws, which specifically prevent any dissent on certain issues. It has protected abortion providers and LGBT activists from even having to defend their views. Those who question these laws in any way are often arrested for violating speech laws.
This law was already detestable, but the way Vaughn-Spruce was arrested took it to another Orwellian level. A citizen called the police on another person as a result of what she was thinking inside her head. She was targeted for her private religious observance — no evidence, no witnesses, just accusation.
Smith-Connor, meanwhile, a veteran of the U.K. Armed Forces who fought to defend his country’s freedoms, is not even allowed to silently grieve the loss of his son at the place where his son died.
The U.K. is so worried that others might hear a different view on abortion that they have apparently outlawed thoughts. Pro-abortion advocates are so afraid of dissent and so hateful towards those with religious beliefs that it is illegal to disapprove of terminating the life of a preborn child. This is the logical outworking of hate speech orders.
Americans shouldn’t think this is only a problem in other parts of the world. With government-initiated and Big Tech-enabled online censorship and the Department of Justice now specifically targeting pro-lifers while ignoring pro-abortion terrorists who attack churches and crisis pregnancy centers and attempt to intimidate Supreme Court Justices, Americans should be aware.
Big Brother is already taking steps to shut down free speech, particularly religious speech, that dissent from approved secular ideology.
John 3:19-21 says,
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
The world will try to silence God’s Word shining light on their sin. Christians must continue to speak the truth and continue to publicly pray.
If you like this article and other content that helps you apply a biblical worldview to today’s politics and culture, consider making a donation here.
