The US State Department has issued a stark warning to the UK, raising serious concerns about creeping restrictions on free speech, particularly amid reports that even silent prayer near abortion clinics is being criminalised.
The department’s latest Human Rights Report notes a decline in freedom of expression across Britain in 2024, calling attention to the UK’s buffer-zone laws around abortion facilities. These laws, it notes, can penalise even silent prayer or expressions of conscience within restricted areas. As one example, it mentions the case of army veteran Adam Smith-Connor, convicted and fined £9,000 for silently praying near a Bournemouth clinic, a verdict now under appeal with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF)
A spokesperson for the State Department press secretary, Tammy Bruce, underscored the severity of the situation: “Restrictions on speech in the UK and Europe are ‘intolerable in a free society.’ Societies are strengthened by free expression of opinion, and government censorship is intolerable in a free society”
SPUC argues that buffer-zone laws are eroding fundamental freedoms and obstructing peaceful efforts to offer alternatives to women considering abortion. A SPUC representative stated, “Criminalising prayer, even silent prayer, for an unborn child is unconscionable. Laws like these hinder compassionate outreach and discriminate against pro-life speech.”
In addition to US pressure, the UK Home Secretary has also spoken out. Suella Braverman recently clarified to police forces that “silent prayer, within itself, is not unlawful,” reinforcing that holding personal beliefs, even if unpopular, is not a crime.
Meanwhile, Vice-President J.D. Vance has echoed concerns over a broader backslide in democratic values across the UK, pointing especially to conscience and religious freedoms being under “insidious threat”
As debate intensifies, SPUC continue championing the right to offer pregnant women information and support, legitimate expressions rooted in compassion and care. The verdicts still being fought in court, and the international attention now focused on them, reflect the high stakes: the preservation of free speech and the ability to witness peacefully for life in public spaces.
