As more and more people in the UK and Scotland are being arrested for protesting outside abortion clinics, just how far is European legislation going to go?
In March, Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Summit on how specific new laws in Europe hurt religious citizens. Vance said, “And perhaps most concerningly, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs.”
This is in reference to new laws being enacted across the UK and Scotland to help protect women going to abortion clinics.
Now, if you have ever seen a video of people outside abortion clinics in America, you know they can get loud and disrespectful. You have people who stand outside on the sidewalk yelling at young women who are trying to figure out what is best for them to do.
So, are these new Safe Access Zone (SAZs) laws hurting people of all religions?
SAZs are laws that are currently in place in England and Wales that prohibit activity in favor or against abortion services, including protests, harassment and vigils within 150 meters (164 yards or 492 ft) of abortion clinics. There are similar laws in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well.
There is no reason that someone who is against abortion should be yelling in the face of someone who is getting one. Many people claim to be going to these places as Christians, but the true Christian thing is to pray for them. You don’t yell, judge, or anything of that sort because then you are not protesting, you are inciting violence.
So, in theory, these laws are a good thing. Until you read about how these laws are being implemented.
In 2022, Adam Smith-Connor, a former army vet, was arrested for praying silently within 150 meters of an abortion clinic. According to The Independent, Smith-Connor was convicted at Poole Magistrates’ Court for breaching the safe zone around an abortion center. He attested that he had been engaging in silent prayer as a vigil for his unborn son following an abortion procedure 22 years ago.
The other case that brought attention to these new laws is the case of Livia Tossici-Bolt. Tossici-Bolt was convicted of two charges of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) legislation prohibiting protests near abortion services in March 2023. She was arrested after holding a sign outside a clinic that read “Here to talk, if you want.”.
So as you can see, there is a few things that people are concerned about with these laws. What originally made me write this was Vance talking about how people who live within safe access zones had been sent letters by the Scottish government warning them about praying within their homes.
If that was true, then you have a human rights crisis going on not just for Christians but for Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and any other religion that prays.
Luckily, according to the BBC, a Scottish government spokesperson said no letters had been sent out saying people couldn’t pray in their homes, and only “intentional or reckless behaviour” was covered by the act.
This whole thing makes me think: just how far are some governments willing to push the boundaries of what they can and cannot do regarding human rights? We have seen this with so many different issues over the past few decades and it really makes you want to sit and think.
While the UK is very different from the US, we can rest assured that, for now, a peaceful protest by any means is still legal.
So, stay safe and make your voice heard peacefully.
