This article was originally published on Daily Citizen - Free Speech. You can read the original article HERE
Pro-life advocate Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was paid £13,000 – about $17,000 – by the West Midlands Police after she was arrested for standing and silently praying outside a closed abortion clinic in Birmingham, England.
Ironically, the payment comes as the United Kingdom is seeking to further shut down and penalize silent prayer near abortion clinics.
Vaughan-Spruce is the director of March for Life UK, a pro-life group whose annual march will be held September 7, 2024. She also leads 40 Days for Life Birmingham, a prayer campaign to end abortion, running this year from September 25 to November 3.
Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF UK), which advocated on her behalf, reported:
Vaughan-Spruce issued a claim against West Midlands Police for two wrongful arrests and false imprisonments; assault and battery in relation to an intrusive search of her person; and for a breach of her human rights both in respect to the arrests and to the onerous bail conditions imposed on her.
🚨BREAKING: In a victory against UK censorship, West Midlands Police have compensated Isabel Vaughan-Spruce for her “unlawful” arrests!
Isabel was arrested TWICE and prosecuted for praying SILENTLY near an abortion clinic.
More from the Telegraph 👇https://t.co/SFbDAkbYdX
— ADF UK (@ADF_UK) August 19, 2024
As previously reported by the Daily Citizen, Vaughan-Spruce was not holding a protest sign, nor was the abortion facility even open, when an officer inquired what she was doing. She was then searched by police officers, detained and taken to a police station, locked in a cell and later charged on four counts of violating local law.
Someone had complained of her presence in front of the abortion facility, saying she violated what is known as Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO), which are issued under the United Kingdom’s Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
According to ADF UK, Birmingham authorities had issued a PSPO which “banned all expressions of ‘approval or disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means’ within a large vicinity of an abortion facility” (their emphasis).
Prosecutors later chose to drop the charges against her, although they left open the possibility of doing so later if more evidence was unearthed.
But under British law, Vaughan-Spruce was allowed to ask for her day in court, and she did so.
That led to court hearings in which prosecutors again declined to prosecute, resulting in the magistrate permanently acquitting her.
Vaughan-Spruce applauded the decision, saying:
There is no place for Orwell’s “thought police” in 21st Century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that. Yet despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces.
She’s right to be alarmed about the government’s assault on pro-life speech – including silent prayers.
As ADF UK reports:
The news comes days after reports that the Home Office will strengthen the crackdown on silent prayer near abortion facilities by expressly criminalising it in upcoming “buffer zones” legislation, set to come into force imminently.
Ministers are set to review the initial guidance published by the previous government which protected the human right to freedom of thought, reading, “Silent prayer, being the engagement of the mind and thought in prayer towards God, is protected as an absolute right under the Human Rights Act 1998 and should not, on its own, be considered to be an offence under any circumstances.”
ADF UK explains that an act adopted in 2023, the Public Order Act, will be enforced soon, “and will ban all forms of ‘influencing’ within 150 meters of all abortion facilities nationwide.”
Pro-life advocates are concerned “that engaging in consensual conversation, praying, or simply offering a leaflet about help services available will lead to a criminal conviction, in further breach of rights to freedom of speech and thought.”
ADF UK Legal Counsel Jermiah Igunnubole explains the serious nature of this threat to shut down alternative viewpoints:
The fact that the government is reportedly set to name “silent prayer” as a criminal offence, brazenly contrary to their commitment to international human rights law, exposes the crisis of free speech and thought in the UK today. Law enforcers are dutybound to vigilantly protect, not prosecute, the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights.
While the police payment to Isabel Vaughan Spruce is good news, the United Kingdom’s direction to stifle free speech is troubling.
Related articles and resources:
ADF UK: Christian woman arrested for silent prayer receives compensation from police
British Woman Arrested for Thinking Wrong Thoughts on Public Street in Abortion ‘Sacred Space’
Charges Dropped – For Now – For Praying Outside UK Abortion Clinic
Pro-life Volunteer and Priest Acquitted for Praying Silently Near UK Abortion Facility
Update: Abortion Amendments on the Ballot
Image from ADF (photo credit:ADF UK; Isabel Vaughan-Spruce with ADF UK Legal Counsel Jermiah Igunnubol)
This article was originally published by Daily Citizen - Free Speech. We only curate news from sources that align with the core values of our intended conservative audience. If you like the news you read here we encourage you to utilize the original sources for even more great news and opinions you can trust!
Comments