An English grandmother who was fined for praying outside an abortion provider during lockdowns in 2021 has had her penalty dismissed.
Rosa Lalor, 76, was fined for breaking lockdown orders in February 2021 when officers approached her while she was walking and praying outdoors.
When police demanded to know why she was outside — near a Liverpool abortion center — she explained that she was praying.
Officers said that because she was "protesting" the abortion clinic it was not a valid reason to break lockdown restriction. Lalor was arrested and fined.
REPS. OMAR, ADAMS AMONG 16 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARRESTED DURING ABORTION PROTEST NEAR SUPREME COURT
"We’re thrilled to celebrate a victory for Rosa today, but it is deeply regrettable that this law-abiding woman was subjected to distressing, drawn-out criminal proceedings in the first place, no doubt due to her pro-life stance," Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel to Lalor, said in a news release.
"This follows a worrying trend in law enforcement where individuals are routinely arrested simply because their views are considered to be controversial or offensive."
Lalor was backed in the legal process by ADF International, which provided representation and filed the legal challenge.
"I’m delighted that the prosecution has finally dropped this charge after a long and exhausting battle for justice," Lalor said in a statement. "I took this challenge forward with support from ADF UK to show that we do all have a fundamental right to pray – not least pray as I did, in the privacy of my own mind."
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Across the pond, several members of the U.S. Congress made a spectacle after being detained by police for obstructing traffic outside the Supreme Court.
Multiple members of Congress including Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Alma Adams, D-N.C., were arrested by Capitol Police Tuesday afternoon outside the Supreme Court building during an abortion rights protest.
Adams' staff confirmed her arrest in a tweet from her official account. Omar's office confirmed her arrest to WCCO.