A British court has convicted Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran, for silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. Smith-Connor was praying in memory of his son, who was aborted 22 years ago. The court sentenced him to a two-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £9,000 ($11,700) in legal fees.
The conviction comes under a UK law that prohibits all forms of protest, including silent prayer, within specific distances from abortion clinics. Smith-Connor expressed his frustration, stating, “All I did was pray to God in the privacy of my own mind, and yet I stand convicted as a criminal.”
This case has reignited concerns over religious freedom in the UK, with Christian and pro-life groups warning that such laws infringe on basic rights. The conviction follows a similar case earlier this year when pro-life activist Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was compensated after being wrongfully arrested for praying near an abortion facility in Birmingham.
The UK government is moving forward with plans to enforce stricter bans on prayer around abortion clinics. By the end of October, new laws will ban prayer within 150 meters (492 feet) of clinics in England and Wales. Scotland has already implemented stricter laws, banning prayer within 200 meters (656 feet).
