A British army veteran recently convicted for expressing his “disapproval of abortion” in a silent prayer in the abortion “buffer zone” fears his case is just the beginning of a worrying trend around the world to punish “opinions”. United Kingdom.

Adam Smith-Connor told Fox News: “I think this has terrible, frankly terrible consequences for Britain. The idea that the state is empowered to spy on people’s minds and criminalize your thoughts – that should terrify every freedom-loving Brit.” Digital.

The father of two, physiotherapist and veteran who spent 20 years in the British army, was found guilty of breaching the local government’s Public Places Protection Order in October after standing outside an abortion facility with his head silently bowed nearly two years ago. prayer. Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court sentenced him to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £9,000 (or about $12,000). Alliance Defending Freedom “ADF” United Kingdom.

ADF UK spokeswoman Lois McLatchie Miller said: “We will appeal this decision because no one in the UK should be blamed for their opinions.” Fox News Digital.

Adam Smith-Connor is accused of a crime for praying silently in a “buffer zone” outside a UK abortion clinic. (Courtesy of ADF International)

PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST ARRESTED AS PRAYING OUTSIDE UK ABORTION CENTER, RECEIVED LARGE COST FROM POLICE

Video was shot It shows that on that day, local council officers approached Smith-Connor and investigated him to uncover the “nature of the prayer”. After explaining that she was praying for her “deceased son”, she was warned that her prayer was considered a “disapproval of abortion” and thus violated the buffer zone law.

Smith-Connor told Fox News Digital that she often prays outside clinics for people considering abortions, as well as for her son, for whom she paid to have an abortion more than two decades ago.

Smith-Connor said that on the day in question, his back was to the building and he did not look at or interact with anyone until officers arrived. He was surprised by what happened because just a week ago Following this incident, local authorities assured her that she was allowed to pray outside a different abortion clinic.

Abortion buffer zones will be mandatory across the UK from 31 October 2024, making it an offense to affect anyone’s access to an abortion facility. (AP)

He said the decision should disturb anyone with concerns about the protection of freedom of expression and thought in the UK and the west.

“Frankly, it doesn’t really matter if you’re pro-life or pro-abortion. You know, the abortion issue is really a side issue here, really. It’s really a freedom issue. And if we say it can criminalize your opinions, we’re all in trouble because we agree with the government today.” You may be, but there may be a government in the future that you don’t agree with, crime is one thing, then there’s no stopping what they can do,” he told Fox News Digital.

McLatchie Miller added on Fox News Digital: “It surprised a lot of people in the UK because it’s not 1984, it’s 2024.”

This month, Adam Smith-Connor was found guilty of praying silently near an abortion clinic and ordered to pay the costs of the investigation, which totaled nearly $12,000. (ADF International)

PRO-LIFE MAN IN UK PAID FOR PRAYING BY ABORTION CLINIC HAS A ‘SCAREY WARNING FOR US: THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU’

Smith-Connor’s sentence comes as the UK introduces additional measures buffer zones In England and Wales this week, following the passage of the law in 2023.

The zones, which extend up to a 500-metre radius, make it a crime to “intentionally or recklessly” influence a person’s decision and deny access to an abortion facility. According to Reuters.

McLatchie Miller said the law’s “vague” language about “influence” could mean punishing people for peaceful speech on a public street or punishing someone for their opinions, as in the Smith-Connor case.

“We don’t know at the moment whether this will apply to silent pauses like the one Adam experienced, or to volunteers handing out or discussing options with women experiencing crisis pregnancies. But the legislation’s wording of ‘impact’ is so vague that it can only affect people’s thoughts or ideas they’re holding in their heads.” helpful speech could very well be applied subjectively in the UK to punish them for consensual speech they have on a public street,” McLatchie Miller told Fox News Digital.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, is accused of protesting outside an abortion clinic in the Birmingham abortion facility’s censorship area, along with Father Sean Gough, a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Picture date: Thursday, February 16, 2023. (Jacob King/PA images via Getty Images)

The verdict against Smith-Connor came after another British Christian won a case in August after he was arrested for his silent protest against abortion.

english woman, The man arrested for silently praying outside an abortion facility received a £13,000 (about $17,000) payment from West Midlands Police in Birmingham, England, after filing a claim accusing them of false imprisonment, assault and false imprisonment.

Fox News’ Taylor Penley contributed to this report.

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