An army reservist who was prosecuted for praying silently in an abortion clinic buffer zone has appealed to the UK to stand up for fundamental freedoms at home as well as overseas.
Adam Smith-Connor was ordered by Bournemouth Magistrates' Court to pay £9,000 in legal costs for breaching the "buffer zone".
In a special message shared on Remembrance Sunday through the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF UK), which is supporting him, the father-of-two said he was still "in disbelief" that he was convicted in a ruling that effectively makes silent thoughts a crime.
"For 20 years, I proudly served our country as an Army Reservist—including a tour of Afghanistan—and I continue to serve my community today as a physiotherapist and a volunteer at my local church," he said.
"But I never imagined that the country I love—a nation that has given me so much—could turn against me for something as simple as offering a silent prayer concerning my late, unborn son."
Abortion clinic 'safe access zones' were rolled out across England and Wales last month, imposing a 150-metre boundary around all clinics and hospitals offering abortion services.
Under the new regulations, it is a criminal offence "to intentionally or recklessly influence any person's decision to access or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic" or "cause harassment, alarm or distress" to people accessing the facilities.
People handing out leaflets, protesting against abortion rights, praying silently or holding vigils could all fall within the scope of the new laws. The Crown Prosecution Service has said in guidance that prosecutors need to consider each case individually and show that there was "intent" or "recklessness" in the activities. Being found guilty of breaching the buffer zones risks an unlimited fine.
Smith-Connor said Britain had reached the point of criminalising silent prayer because it has "forgotten the core principles upon which our nation was built".
He said that Christians "must respectfully and firmly hold the Government to account".
"Remembrance Sunday is a day of collective commemoration and gratitude, a reminder of the freedoms we have today thanks to the courage of those who served our nation. But now I question if those freedoms are truly honoured," he said.
"God gives us our inalienable rights and freedoms, and it's the Government's job to uphold them, not suppress them.
"How can we ask British troops to put their lives at risk defending freedom abroad while, at home, we are fining, arresting and imprisoning people for a thoughtcrime of silent prayer?"
