Army Veteran Found Guilty of Praying Silently For Deceased Son Near Abortion Clinic, Given $12,000 Fine
A UK Judge has found army veteran Adam Smith-Connor guilty of praying silently outside an abortion clinic, handing him a two-year conditional discharge sentence and ordering him to pay £9,000 ($12,000)
Much like Canada has intolerably strict buffer zones around all abortion clinics that make it illegal to protest within 300 feet, punishing participants with a year of jail time for a first-time offense, some British buffer zones make it illegal to “harass” or “intimate” anyone within 450 feet of the building, which they considered the silent prayer to be.
In this case, prosecutors say Smith-Connor breached the buffer zone when he came near the clinic and started praying for his deceased son, who was aborted 24 years ago, which he now regrets and mourns for. According to the Telegraph:
Judge Orla Austin ruled he had failed to comply with the ban under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
She said that even though he was engaged in silent prayer, his presence within the buffer zone could still have a “detrimental effect” on people attending or working at the clinic.
Mr Smith-Connor said after the hearing: “When George Orwell wrote 1984, he meant it as a warning, not a guide book. His predictive powers were off by 40 years but apart from that the notion that thought crimes could become established in the British legal system was sadly accurate.“How can we ask British troops to put their lives at risk defending freedom abroad while fining, arresting and imprisoning people back home for the thought crime of praying? This court has decided even a silent prayer is now a criminal act.”
Last year we reported that after a six-month-long investigation, police dropped all charges against March For Life UK Director Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was likewise arrested late last year and charged with “protesting and engaging in an act that is intimidating to service users” for her silent prayers. Following her arrest she sued the department and won her case.
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