The open letter reads: “Freedom of thought is our most basic and precious of rights – and has long been recognised in British law and every major human rights document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights onwards. Silent prayer is not a crime, and the state has no authority to censor our thoughts.” It also says it would be “a deeply worrying move” to add silent prayer to the list of criminal offences, as the Prime Minister has suggested. 

The Alliance Defending Freedom UK started a petition following the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor, who was ordered to pay £9,000 for silently praying in an abortion clinic buffer zone in Bournemouth last week. Mr Smith-Connor had his head bowed and hands clasped as he prayed for his son Jacob, who had died from abortion 22 years ago. He was charged with failing to comply with the Public Space Protection Order and was found guilty by District Judge Orla Austin last Wednesday. Mr Smith-Connor, supported by the ADF, wishes to appeal the decision. 

The petition reads: “This case has set a dangerous precedent in the UK: silent thoughts and personal reflections can now be criminalised. Adam prayed silently and with his back to the facility. In fact, if Adam had been praying about climate change or anything else, there would be no upcoming court date. It wasn’t his actions that were unlawful but the contents of his thoughts, deemed as ‘express[ing] disapproval’ of abortion.”

A spokesperson for the ADF highlighted the issues with the new law – according to which it is a crime to “influence” a person’s “decision to access abortion services” within 150m of an abortion clinic: “The UK is becoming an international embarrassment due to these cases. How can we, as a nation, champion human rights across the world and yet be the first Western country to criminalise thought and prayer.”

Source: https://www.christiantoday.com