Authorities in Bournemouth, England, have criminally charged a British military veteran for praying silently whereas standing in a buffer zone outdoors an abortion clinic, his attorneys stated Friday.
The case is the most recent in a string of prosecutions critics have dubbed “thoughtcrimes” the place folks standing silently close to abortion clinics are charged with offenses, even when the incidents happen when the services are closed.
Adam Smith-Connor, a medical skilled who spent 20 years within the military reserves, will face magistrates on Aug. 9 and is predicted to plead not responsible on costs of violating a Public Spaces Protection Order that bans prayer inside a buffer zone as a method of expressing approval or disapproval of abortion.
He stated he was silently praying for the lack of a son years earlier, a toddler misplaced in an abortion he paid for and whom he named Jacob.
“The decision I made all those years ago now grieves me deeply,” Mr. Smith-Connor stated in a press release. “I was praying also for those contemplating abortion, especially those in vulnerable situations who believe abortion is their ‘only choice.’ It isn’t for the authorities to determine the contents of my thoughts on this matter, on a public street.”
The Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council declined to touch upon the Smith-Connor case.
Mr. Smith-Connor was fined £100 or about $127 on Dec. 13, 2022, for the offense, which happened a couple of month earlier. On May 12, 2023, the Council issued its cost towards Mr. Smith-Connor however didn’t notify him of the costs till July 19, in keeping with ADF UK, the British department of Alliance Defending Freedom.
While legally required to inform the topic of costs “as soon as possible,” the BCP Council didn’t contact Mr. Smith-Connor nor carry him into questioning earlier than notifying him of the costs. An ADF UK spokesperson stated the delay may very well be grounds for the court docket to dismiss the case.
“In permitting the prosecution of silent prayer, we are sailing into dangerous waters regarding human rights protections in the UK,” stated Jeremiah Igunnubole, an ADF UK authorized counsel who represents Mr. Smith-Connor.
Mr. Igunnubole stated that having created and enforced the buffer zone on the Bournemouth clinic, the BCP Council is now urgent costs, “making the council the judge, jury and executioner.”
“The Code for Crown Prosecutors requires prosecutors to be even-handed in their approach to every case, and to protect the rights of suspects and defendants – a duty which has been ignored at every stage by the Council, which has not only shown itself to be incapable of impartiality but also failed to grasp the gravity of inaugurating thoughtcrime trials in the UK,” he stated.
Authorities in different British cities have arrested folks for silently praying close to abortion clinics.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a Catholic pro-life volunteer, has twice been arrested by police in Birmingham for her silent prayers. She and the Rev. Sean Gough, a Catholic priest, have been acquitted in a Feb. 16 trial however police arrested her once more in March.
Also in March, the British parliament handed laws to ascertain buffer zones round abortion clinics all through the U.Okay. The ADF UK referred to as them “censorship zones” that would ban silent prayer. An try by Andrew Lewer, a Conservative MP for Northampton South, to exempt such non-verbal actions from the invoice failed.
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