LONDON (OSV News) — A Catholic pro-life volunteer, twice arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic, has received compensation from the U.K. police force who arrested her.
Speaking on Aug. 19, the day the 13,000 pound ($16,900) payout was announced, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, director of March for Life U.K., said: “Discrimination against pro-lifers is not acceptable.”
Arrests and acquittal
West Midlands police previously arrested the Catholic campaigner twice for praying silently outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham before issuing an apology for doing so.
In the first case, she was arrested in November 2022. She was was fully acquitted of all charges at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court in February 2023 after the prosecution was unable to offer evidence to support the arrest charge.
She was arrested again in March 2023, just a few weeks after her acquittal, and six months later she received notification that she would not be prosecuted. In a letter, the police said there would be “no further investigation into the alleged matter, and there will be no further action taken.”
Payout and acknowledgement of wrongdoing
After pursuing a claim against West Midlands Police, Vaughan-Spruce has finally received the payout recognizing their unjust treatment of her and breach of her human rights.
“I’m delighted to have acknowledgement that both my arrests were a clear violation of my most basic human rights and I hope this sends a signal to police forces around the country that discrimination against pro-lifers is not acceptable,” Vaughan-Spruce told OSV News, commenting on the payout.
In England and Wales, the Public Order Act of 2023 states that it is illegal to pray for and counsel women entering abortion clinics within a radius of 150 meters (490-feet). It is being promoted by the new Labour Government, faith-based legal group Alliance Defending Freedom UK said in an Aug. 19 statement, but pro life supporters say the language is ambiguous and they fear being arrested for praying, handing out leaflets or speaking to people outside abortion clinics.
Current legal battles for pro-life advocates
In Bournemouth, two pro-life advocates, Adam Smith-Connor and Livia Tossici-Bolt, await trial in relation to locally-imposed “buffer zones.” Both were praying silently outside abortion clinics, with Tossici-Bolt holding a sign which said “Here to talk if you want.”
Videos obtained by ADF in 2023 emerged of Vaughan-Spruce being issued with fines for standing still and praying silently within a “buffer zone” in Birmingham. The footage shows a West Midlands Police officer asking Vaughan-Spruce: “Are you praying for the lives of unborn children?” She is also told that it is her prayer which is the “offense.”
ADF’s legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole said he was “delighted” that West Midlands Police have acknowledged “wrongdoing and injustice.”
“The fact that the government is reportedly set to name ‘silent prayer’ as a criminal offense, brazenly contrary to their commitment to international human rights law, exposes the crisis of free speech and thought in the UK today,” Igunnubole said.
“Yet across the country, Christians exercising their basic rights to peaceful expression have faced criminal charges for silently praying, or offering consensual conversations to, women in need.”
Government criticized for suppression of free speech
Vaughan-Spruce complained of the “Orwellian” legislation — a reference to U.K. author George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” in which a secret police organization — the “Thought Police” — seek to discover and punish thoughtcrime.
“It was a shock both to myself and others that something so Orwellian could still happen in 21st century Britain,” she told OSV News.
“Silent prayer is not a crime. I trust with this vindication that other Christians will not feel deterred from getting actively involved in such a key issue as protecting our most vulnerable citizens,” she said.
Support from politicians
Support for Vaughan-Spruce’s case has come from prominent U.K. politicians. Senior Conservative member David Frost of the House of Lords said, “It is incredible that people have been arrested for thoughtcrime in modern Britain. I am very glad Ms Vaughan-Spruce has received compensation for her unjust arrest for this so-called offense.”
In a statement released by ADF, he said that “if a recent report is correct” that the government is considering formally criminalizing silent prayer outside abortion centers, “then there will be further such cases, and then not just freedom of speech but freedom of thought will be under threat. It is hard to imagine a more absurd and dangerous situation.”
