According to representatives of the Christian Legal Centre – which provides legal aid to Mrs Brennan – this is the first recorded case in Northern Ireland since national buffer zones were introduced last year. It is forbidden to pray, distribute pro-life literature and offer advice to women in a 100 to 250m radius of abortion clinics. 

The arresting officer called Mrs Brennan really stubborn and ignorant” for breaking the law by refusing to move on. Mrs Brennan and her representatives expressed their concern about the legislation that “tells free citizens that they will be arrested if they pray”.

She calls the present state of law “deeply disturbing” and she firmly supports the right of every person to pray wherever they want to, “even outside of an abortion clinic.”  She said:  “The expansion of abortion services in Northern Ireland in recent years has been appalling. Our laws, beliefs and culture on upholding and protecting life in this country have been trampled on. We need urgent change to roll back what has happened in this country and to uphold God’s law not man’s law. The unborn are the most vulnerable and at risk in our society and we have forgotten our moral duty to do everything we can to protect their lives and to provide vulnerable mothers with alternatives to abortion. The legislation discriminates against Christian beliefs and their expression. If we are not free to express prayer against abortion outside of a clinic without being criminalised, then none of us are free. I believe I have done absolutely nothing wrong. If the courts find that I have and decide to convict me then we are in a very dark place indeed.”