Recently, a Christian man was criminally convicted after praying for his deceased son outside of an abortion clinic in the U.K. Reportedly, Adam Smith-Connor had broken abortion clinic “buffer zone” rules for engaging in prayer in close proximity to the practice during a 2022 incident.
Smith-Connor was sentenced to a conditional discharge and ordered to pay prosecution costs of 9,000 Pounds. According to the conditional discharge, he will only be sentenced if he is convicted of an additional offense within the next two years.
The court determined that Smith-Connor actions represented “disapproval of abortion” because he was postured in prayer, with his head bowed and hands clasped together. The legal group representing Alliance Defending Freedom UK reported that their client had simply prayed for approximately 3 minutes outside the clinic.
As he was praying he was approached by a local council officer, who inquired about the nature of Smith-Connor’s prayer. He explained that he had previously paid for his ex-girlfriend to have an abortion and was praying for the aborted child of his. Later, Smith-Connor received a fine and legal action was taken against him.
Responding to his verdict in court, Smith-Connor said, “Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts – silent thoughts – can be illegal in the United Kingdom. That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind – and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?
He added, “I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon. I continue that spirit of service as a health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the UK.”
“A man has been convicted today because of the content of his thoughts – his prayers to God – on the public streets of England,” Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK. “We can hardly sink any lower in our neglect of basic fundamental freedoms of free speech and thought. We will look closely at the judgment and will consider an appeal. Human rights are for all people – no matter their view on abortion.”
Former Conservative MP Miriam Cates said, “This isn’t 1984, but 2024 – nobody should be on trial for the mere thoughts they hold in their mind. It’s outrageous that the local council are pouring taxpayer funding into prosecuting a thoughtcrime, at a time where resources are stretched thin. Buffer zone regulations are disproportionately wide, leaving innocent people vulnerable to prosecution merely for offering help, or simply holding their own beliefs.”
A spokesperson for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council said, “The council welcomes the Court’s decision that the prosecution was not an abuse of the legal process, and to find Mr Smith-Connor guilty of breaching the terms of the Public Spaces Protection Order on 24 November 2022. The Public Spaces Protection Order covering Ophir Road and the surrounding area, Bournemouth, was introduced following public consultation in 2022 and is in place to protect those accessing or working in medical services at the British Pregnancy Advisory Clinic. The Council will continue to monitor any alleged breaches and take appropriate action when it is deemed necessary.”