Priest charged after praying outside of abortion clinic says free speech is 'threatened'
Father Sean Gough and attorney Lorcan Price call out laws restricting protesters from praying outside of clinics on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'
A pro-life activist was arrested for the second time Tuesday for the "offense" of silently praying in her head near an abortion facility in a so-called censorship or "buffer zone" in Birmingham, England.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce's arrest comes only weeks after the court cleared her of criminal charges for breaking a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which enforces a censorship zone around the abortion facility, according to an Alliance Defending Freedom UK press release.
Bail conditions for Vaughan-Spruce' prohibit her from entering the vicinity of the abortion facility which extends beyond the "buffer zone."
Birmingham's authorities established a buffer zone around abortion clinics, which makes it illegal for an individual to engage in any act or attempted act of approval or disapproval as it relates to abortion and includes "verbal or written means" like "prayer or counseling."
"I'm not protesting, I'm not engaging in any of the activities prohibited," Vaughn-Spruce told officers during her second encounter when they asked her to step outside the exclusion zone.
"But you said you are engaging in prayer, which is the offense," the officer responded.
"Silent prayer," she responded.
"No, but you were still engaging in prayer," he said. "It is an offense,"
Vaugn-Spruce said she disagreed with the officer, and he asked her if she would rather be arrested and taken away instead of standing outside the exclusion zone, explaining those were her only two options.
"Only three weeks ago, it was made clear by the court that my silent prayers were not a crime," Vaughn-Spruce said in a statement. "And yet, again, I have been arrested and treated as a criminal for having the exact same thoughts in my head, in the same location."
"The ambiguity of laws that limit free expression and thought – even in peaceful, consensual conversation or in silent, internal prayer – leads to abject confusion, to the detriment of important fundamental rights," she added. "Nobody should be criminalised for their thoughts."
Isabel Vaughn-Spruce (Courtesy of ADF UK)
The House of Commons in the UK Parliament voted 116-299 Tuesday to criminalize all forms of "influence" near abortion facilities across England and Wales, which includes silent prayer, according to an ADF UK press release. Amendments put forth by parliament member Andrew Lewer that would exempt silent prayer and consensual conversations from the ban failed to gain support.
"Police shouldn’t be asking ‘What are you thinking about?!’", Lewer said, according to ADF UK. "Censorship of this sort is a notoriously slippery slope. It might not be your thoughts that are criminalised today, but I think we should all be careful not to open the door to that tomorrow about some other opinions that people may hold about something else."
PRIEST CHARGED AFTER PRAYING OUTSIDE ABORTION CLINIC DECRIES CRIMINALIZATION OF THOUGHT
Isabel Vaughn-Spruce pictured with Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom UK. (Courtesy of ADF UK)
Today it’s abortion, but tomorrow it could be another contested matter of political debate, Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said in a statement. "The principle remains that the government should never be able to punish anyone for prayer, let alone silent prayer."
"Today’s vote marks a watershed moment for fundamental rights and freedoms in our country," he said. "Parliament had an opportunity to reject the criminalisation of free thought, which is an absolute right, and embrace individual liberty for all. Instead, Parliament chose to endorse censorship and criminalise peaceful activities such as silent prayer and consensual conversation."
Isabel Vaughn-Spruce (Courtesy of ADF UK)
"There seems to be crime happening that is left unaddressed," A local resident named Edel, who lives close to the abortion facility near where Vaughn-Spruce was arrested said, according to ADF. "And yet it is the people who are praying who are being targeted. I really question what the police are doing and why they’re spending their time and resources into targeting innocent people."