A letter asking the Prime Minister to act to guard freedom of thought and silent prayer has been signed nearly 60,000 times.
The letter was launched by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF UK) which is supporting army veteran Adam Smith-Connor who was convicted last week of praying silently inside an abortion clinic buffer zone in Bournemouth. He was ordered to pay £9,000 in costs.
The letter reads, “Freedom of thought is our most simple and precious of rights – and has long been recognised in British law and each major human rights document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights onwards.”
It says it might be “a deeply worrying move” if silent prayer is called as a criminal offence in government guidance, as Sir Keir has indicated.
“Silent prayer isn’t against the law, and the state has no authority to censor our thoughts,” the letter continues.
Smith-Connor’s legal team at ADF are actually considering whether to appeal the conviction.
A petition began by ADF says, “This case has set a dangerous precedent within the UK: silent thoughts and private reflections can now be criminalised.”
It continues, “Adam prayed silently and together with his back to the ability.
“In fact, if Adam had been praying about climate change or anything, there can be no upcoming court date.
“It wasn’t his actions that were illegal however the contents of his thoughts, deemed as ‘express[ing] disapproval’ of abortion.”
The petition highlights cases brought against other individuals for praying in abortion clinic buffer zones, like Isabel Vaughan-Spruce who was eventually found not guilty and received an apology from West Midlands Police after a six-month investigation. In August, she received £13,000 in compensation after the local authorities after they acknowledged that her fundamental rights had been breached.
Smith-Connor’s conviction has increased concerns in regards to the implications of ‘protected access zones’ that are to be rolled out around abortion facilities across England and Wales from October 31.
Under the brand new rules, it is going to be against the law to “influence” an individual’s “decision to access abortion services” inside 150m of an abortion facility. Breaching the buffer zones risks a limiteless high-quality.
ADF UK said that the UK “is becoming a global embarrassment attributable to these cases”.
“How can we, as a nation, champion human rights the world over and yet be the primary Western country to criminalise thought and prayer?” the petition concludes.
