Image – Christian Institute: Clive Johnston
A retired pastor has said it is a “very dark day for Christian freedom” after being convicted under Northern Ireland’s abortion buffer zone laws for preaching a sermon which made no mention of abortion.
Clive Johnston, 78, a former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, was found guilty at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court of breaching a “safe access zone” near Causeway Hospital in July 2024.
The grandfather-of-seven had held a small open-air church service near the hospital, preaching on the Bible verse John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
According to both Johnston and his supporters, abortion was never mentioned during the service. There was no protest, no placards referencing abortion, and no attempt to approach patients entering the hospital.
Despite this, District Judge Peter King found Johnston guilty of carrying out an act within the buffer zone with the intention – or recklessness – that it could influence a protected person attending the premises. He was also convicted of failing to comply with a police direction to leave the area and fined £450.
The case is believed to be one of the clearest examples yet of buffer zone legislation being used not simply to restrict protest activity around abortion facilities, but to criminalise the peaceful public expression of Christian faith itself.
During the hearing, the court accepted that Johnston’s sermon contained no references to abortion. However, the judge concluded that Johnston had deliberately tested the legislation by preaching within the zone while knowing he risked breaching the law.
The court was told that at least one person connected to abortion services was present at the hospital on the day, despite it being a Sunday service held outdoors and at some distance from the building.
Speaking outside court, Johnston said: “We held a small open-air Sunday service near a hospital. We made no reference whatsoever to the issue of abortion. And yet the buffer zone legislation is so broad that holding a Sunday service has been found to be a criminal offence.”
“At 78 years of age I find myself, for the first time, convicted of a crime,” he added.
The Christian Institute, which has supported Johnston’s legal defence, described the ruling as “creeping censorship” and warned it represented “a shocking restriction on freedom of religion and freedom of speech.”
Johnston is expected to appeal the ruling.
SPUC CEO John Deighan has said, “This conviction undermines repeated assurances from politicians that such buffer zone laws were not free speech infringements but narrowly focused on preventing harassment or intimidation outside abortion facilities. This is evidently untrue. Preaching the Gospel, without even mentioning abortion, can now lead to criminal conviction. The legislation has crossed a serious line into suppressing religious liberty in public spaces – we are proven right yet again.
“I for one hope that the appeal is a success, and if not, SPUC will be fighting tooth and nail with the Christian Institute to make sure it never happens again.”
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