A British Catholic woman has been arrested and charged for praying silently near an abortion facility in Birmingham. “Thoughtcrime is now a reality”, said SPUC, which condemned the arrest and charging of the pro-lifer.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, 45, a pro-life Catholic woman who is also the UK director of March for Life, was arrested and taken into custody after praying in her head near a BPAS abortion facility in Birmingham, UK. The arrest took place on 6 December.
Ms Vaughan-Spruce has since been charged with four counts of breaching the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), also known as a “buffer zone”, outlawing pro-life free speech, help and even silent prayer. The PSPO was introduced by Birmingham City Council in September.
Following her arrest, Ms Vaughan-Spruce said: “It’s abhorrently wrong that I was arrested, brought into cells, searched and humiliated by police simply for praying in the privacy of my own mind.
“Censorship zone legislation purports to ban harassment, which is already illegal and obviously justifiable as nobody should be subject to harassment.
“But what I did was the furthest thing from harmful – I was exercising my freedom of thought, my freedom of religion, inside the privacy of my own mind.
“Nobody should be criminalised for thinking, for praying, in a public space in the UK.”
“Are you praying?”
Footage of Ms Vaughan-Spruce’s arrest has since been made public. “Are you praying”, she is asked by Birmingham police, to which she responds: “I might be praying in my head.” Police then ask her if she is willing to go to a police station for questioning. “If I’ve got a choice, then no”, replies Ms Vaughan-Spruce, after which she is told she is under arrest.
In October, a senior Home Office minister was forced to admit that the Government was “unable” to say that the imposition of buffer zones in England and Wales is “presently compatible” with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
An ECHR memorandum also stated that buffer zones may violate various ECHR articles, including the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (article 9), the right to freedom of expression (article 10) and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others (article 11).
“This is terrifying”
Ms Vaughan-Spruce has since gained support from notable commentators, including Rev. Calvin Robinson of GB News, who said: “This is terrifying. What have we become?! Under a Conservative government, too.”
SPUC’s Michael Robinson, SPUC Executive Director (Public Affairs and Legal Services), said: “The arrest of Ms Vaughan-Spruce is indeed terrifying and a clear violation of freedom of speech, including the right to religious expression. But this is what buffer zones are intended to do – this is where they ultimately lead, as SPUC has previously warned.
“A mere thought, a simple prayer, voiced within the privacy of a person’s head has become a chargeable offence. Thoughtcrime is now a reality. Persecution of pro-lifers and religion is now the order of the day.
“This is not acceptable in a democratic society. The Government must act now to protect Ms Vaughan-Spruce’s rights as a free person to free thought and prayer.”