(From a report by Alliance Defending Freedom)
A man charged for praying silently in an abortion “buffer zone” in Bournemouth, a town on the south coast of England, has been found guilty in a shock ruling from Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court.
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council charged Adam Smith-Connor, a military veteran and father of two, following an interrogation by office on “the nature of his prayers” when he stopped to pray for a few minutes near an abortion facility in November 2022.
The Court sentenced Smith-Connor to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £9,000. A conditional discharge is a type of conviction that means Smith-Connor will only be sentenced if he is convicted of any future offences in the next two years.
In its decision, the court reasoned that his prayer amounted to “disapproval of abortion” because at one point his head was seen slightly bowed and his hands were clasped.
A report by Monica Doumit in The Catholic Weekly gives more background. “After finding faith, Smith-Connor experienced deep regret over a decision by him and his girlfriend at the time to abort their child some 18 years earlier.
“One of the ways that Smith-Connor expresses his regret for abortion is praying outside abortion clinics, specifically for the son who was never given a chance at life.
“If Smith-Connor wanted to pray outside a clinic, he would inform the local council of his intention to do so, find a place where he would not be within line of sight of the clinic or anyone entering or exiting it (in this case, behind a tree with his back to the clinic entry) and engage in mental prayer. He had previously been informed by police that this was not a breach of the law.”
“However, a week later, in another location about 50km away, two Community Safety Accredited Scheme officers employed by the local council took a different view.
“They approached Smith-Connor who had his head bowed and eyes closed and was standing behind a tree so he could not be seen from the clinic, with his back facing the clinic entry and asked him what he was doing. Smith-Connor replied that he was praying.” After a discussion, the police asked him to move on and issued a £100 fine, which he challenged in court.
Similar to laws in Australia, the UK buffer zone bans “Protesting, namely engaging in an act of approval/disapproval or attempted act of approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means. This includes but is not limited to graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling.”
As Doumit notes, prayer would be effective anywhere. So Smith-Connor could have moved on, and perhaps he should have. If he had replied that he was praying about the wars in Gaza or Ukraine, the police would not have a case. Standing in prayer in that place, praying for anything else, would not seem to be against the law. So it seems he was fined for his thoughts.
School kids told to remove Crosses
Sydney and Melbourne both have a MLC school in Burwood. A Herald-Sun story reported that the Melbourne Uniting Church school has asked girls to remove crosses. One student told the paper this was to avoid offence. Whether this was said to the student is likely disputed by the school.
The school confirmed that crosses were not to be worn in rather complicated language. “‘Our Christian heritage serves as a foundation for welcoming individuals of all faiths, cultures, and backgrounds, fostering an environment where every student is supported in expressing their identity and beliefs,’ the spokesperson said.
“‘Regarding religious jewellery, such as cross necklaces, the College’s uniform policy supports consistent presentation among students while respecting individual beliefs.”
Having a school uniform policy is uncontroversial – but being told the cross is too offensive is concerning. UPDATE: The full statement by the school includes “MLC is a proudly Christian girls’ school. We do not find Christian symbols offensive.” However the students’ allegation they were told the cross is offensive, is not addressed in the MLC statement.
What links these two stories is the idea that even mild Christian expression needs to be rejected.
Main Image: Abortion protester Adam Smith-Connor. Image Credit: ADF