{"id":285428,"date":"2023-02-16T10:43:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T16:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=285428"},"modified":"2023-02-16T13:29:50","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T19:29:50","slug":"silent-prayer-uk-abortion-victorious-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/silent-prayer-uk-abortion-victorious-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman arrested for silent prayer near UK abortion business victorious in court"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Earlier this month, authorities reportedly\u00a0dropped<\/a>\u00a0charges against Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a woman who was arrested for praying silently<\/em> near an abortion facility. While it seemed that her battle was finally over, she still had to face a court battle that could leave her with a criminal record. The court ultimately ruled in Vaughan-Spruce’s favor.<\/p>\n

Christian Today reported<\/a> that, despite the fact that charges were dropped, Vaughan-Spruce still had to present herself at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. If the court found her guilty, she would have had a criminal record. Charges also could have been reinstated if the court had not found her innocent.<\/p>\n

In a press release<\/a>, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) UK announced the verdict. \u201cI\u2019m glad I\u2019ve been vindicated of any wrongdoing. But I should never have been arrested for my thoughts and treated like a criminal simply for silently praying on a public street,” Vaughan-Spruce said outside the courthouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to censorship zones, peaceful prayer and attempts to offer help to women in crisis pregnancies are now being described as either \u201ccriminal\u201d or \u201canti-social\u201d. But what is profoundly anti-social are the steps now being taken to censor freedom of speech, freedom to offer help, freedom to pray and even freedom to think. We must stand firm against this and ensure that these most fundamental freedoms are protected, and that all our laws reflect this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Walgreens<\/a><\/p>\n

Vaughan-Spruce was arrested while standing near the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham, where abortions are committed. There is a buffer zone in place, which bans people from \u201cengaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval\u201d in relation to abortion, including through \u201cverbal or written means, prayer or counseling.” When police saw Vaughan-Spruce standing silently, they asked if she was praying; she answered that she “might be,” and was arrested.<\/p>\n

“Today\u2019s court case is of great cultural significance. This isn\u2019t 1984, but 2023 \u2013 nobody should be criminalised for their thoughts, for their prayers, for peaceful expression on a public street,” Jeremiah Igunnubole, the legal counsel from ADF UK representing Vaughan-Spruce, said, adding, “It\u2019s great that they have found justice, although with such gruelling legal battles, the process is often the punishment. Their case may have closed today, but it should be marked in this conversation as a cautionary tale. In the UK, freedom of thought, prayer, offers of help, and peaceful conversation are not illegal and we call on Parliament to reject the creation of more censorship zones through vaguely worded public order legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you know that as little as $10 a month is enough to reach more than 3,000 people with the truth about abortion that no one else is telling them? Click here to start saving lives 365 days a year.<\/i><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, authorities reportedly\u00a0dropped\u00a0charges against Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a woman who was arrested for praying silently near an abortion facility. While it seemed that her battle was finally over, she still had to face a court battle that could leave her with a criminal record. The court ultimately ruled in Vaughan-Spruce’s favor. Christian Today reported […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":285434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5,3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWoman arrested for silent prayer near UK abortion business victorious in court<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vaughan-Spruce was found innocent in a court hearing for praying near an abortion facility; had she been found guilty, she could have faced more charges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/silent-prayer-uk-abortion-victorious-court\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Woman arrested for silent prayer near UK abortion business victorious in court\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vaughan-Spruce was found innocent in a court hearing for praying near an abortion facility; 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