The US State Department has said that buffer zones around abortion clinics represent “persecution” and are “egregious” violations of the freedoms of speech and religion.
The warning follows an intervention from Vice-President JD Vance in February, in which he claimed that people within such zones in Scotland had been sent official letters warning them about praying at home.
The claims were decried as “misinformation” by the member of the Scottish Parliament responsible for the law, Gillian Mackay.
Letters warning residents were indeed sent out, although they did not specifically mention prayer being forbidden. However, Mackay herself conceded in an interview that praying by the window in one's own home could indeed fall foul of the law, depending on who happened to be passing the window at the time.
The US State Department has spoken out in response to cases in the UK in which ordinary members of the public have been arrested for allegedly breaching the rules in abortion buffer zones.
They include Livia Tossici-Bolt, a retired biomedical scientist. She received a two-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £20,000 in costs for holding a sign that read “Here to talk if you want to” near an abortion facility in Bournemouth.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the State Department said of such cases, “The United States is still monitoring many ‘buffer zone’ cases in the UK, as well as other acts of censorship throughout Europe.
“The UK’s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the shared values that ought to underpin US-UK relations.
“It is common sense that standing silently and offering consensual conversation does not constitute harm.”
The comment was welcomed by legal advocacy group ADF International, who described cases against people praying or holding signs in abortion clinic buffer zones as injustices and a departure from Britain’s “proud traditions of liberty”.
“Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are cornerstones of any free society,” said Lorcan Price, legal counsel for ADF International.
"The US State Department is right to call out this injustice. It is time for the UK government to restore fundamental freedoms, and repeal buffer zone legislation.”
