In Britain, the concept of free speech and personal liberties is facing an Orwellian twist as people are being arrested and charged simply for praying silently near abortion clinics. This month, a British man named Adam Smith-Connor was convicted of criminal charges after silently praying outside an abortion clinic. His prayer wasn’t spoken aloud, nor did he approach or interact with anyone entering the clinic. Instead, he stood with his head bowed in silent prayer—a seemingly harmless act that, shockingly, led to legal consequences.
Smith-Connor’s case stems from a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), a law enabled by the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. PSPOs are designed to address “anti-social behavior” by granting local authorities the power to restrict activities in designated public areas.
These orders have been used to address everything from banning the homeless from sleeping in public spaces to prohibiting swearing in certain places. But in several British cities, PSPOs have been used to create “buffer zones” around abortion clinics, restricting a wide range of conduct, including silent prayer.
The PSPO that Smith-Connor violated was in place around the abortion clinic in question, where the order prohibited any behavior that could be seen as intimidating or harassing clinic workers or patients. The order went so far as to ban individuals from praying, sprinkling holy water, or even crossing themselves near the clinic. While Smith-Connor wasn’t physically on clinic property and was not in direct view of the clinic, his silent prayer was still deemed a violation.
According to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious freedom advocacy group, the court found that his bowed head and clasped hands signified “disapproval of abortion,” a perceptible act that, according to the judge, could have caused “detrimental impact” on those nearby.
The consequences Smith-Connor now faces are severe: a “conditional discharge” akin to probation and approximately $11,709 in prosecution fees. The ruling underscores the bizarre extent to which this law is being applied to silence personal expressions of belief in public spaces.
Smith-Connor’s case isn’t an isolated incident. Similar cases have emerged in recent years. In 2022, a woman in Birmingham was arrested for silently praying near an abortion clinic, and a priest faced criminal charges for holding a sign reading “Praying for Freedom of Speech” outside another clinic.
In both instances, the individuals were penalized, not for disruptive actions or inflammatory protests, but for engaging in silent prayer or speech that wasn’t even directly related to abortion.
What’s particularly unsettling is how this use of PSPOs has twisted the idea of public order into a tool for thought-policing. People can now be criminally charged for their silent, private thoughts if expressed in the wrong place. Critics of these buffer zones argue that they go far beyond protecting clinic workers and patients from harassment and instead stifle free expression and religious belief in public spaces.
The implications of these cases are far-reaching. While the original intention of PSPOs may have been to curb truly disruptive or harmful behavior, their application in these instances feels like an infringement on individual rights. The mere act of silent prayer—something deeply personal and private—has become grounds for criminal conviction, raising troubling questions about the future of free expression in Britain.