Christian woman charged for thought crimes after investigation into silent prayers
https://www.theblaze.com/news/christian-woman-thought-crimes-uk charges come after two previous arrests for similar violations.
A woman in the United Kingdom is in trouble with law enforcement yet again for daring to engage in silent prayers.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce learned in March that she had been under investigation by Midlands Police in the U.K. since January. She has now been criminally charged for praying in her head.
'You've said you're engaging in prayer, which is the offense.'
More specifically, Vaughan-Spruce was allegedly charged because she "stood outside" an abortion facility in Birmingham, England, to conduct her silent prayers and, therefore, tried to "influence" visitors, which is prohibited.
According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, the charge against Vaughan-Spruce is under Section 9 of the U.K.'s Public Order Act 2023, which outlines "Safe Access Zones" around abortion clinics in England and Wales.
Discretion under the act is left to each individual officer, but all decisions must be made "on a case-by-case basis and must be balanced and proportionate to the circumstances," the document says.
The law states it is an offense to recklessly or intentionally "do an act" that:
- Influences "any person's decision to access, provide, or facilitate the provision of abortion services at an abortion clinic";
- Obstructs or impedes any person "accessing, providing, or facilitating the provision of abortion services at an abortion clinic"; or
- Causes "harassment, alarm, or distress to any person in connection with a decision to access, provide, or facilitate the provision of abortion services at an abortion clinic."
Violators are subject to a fine.
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