A high court in the United Kingdom has ruled it is lawful to criminalize prayer and Bible reading within a buffer zone around an abortion clinic.
Lord Justice Warby and Justice Thornton ruled there was a “right” to abortion in English law, despite abortion outside of the 1967 Abortion Act remaining a crime. Therefore praying and reading scriptures in a buffer zone surrounding an abortion clinic in Bournemouth would be a crime punishable with a fine and six months in prison.Â
The ruling followed a legal challenge by two Christian groups, Christian Concern, and Livia Tossici-Bolt, a former clinical scientist, who leads 40 Days for Life Bournemouth.
As CBN News reported, the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was passed last year by the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole city councils.
PSPOs give police officers authority to address protesting, graphic, verbal, or written conduct, prayer, or counseling that engages in acts of approving or disapproving issues related to abortion services.Â
In this case, the PSPO protects a 150-meter area surrounding the British Pregnancy Advisory Group’s (BPAS) clinic in Ophir Road, Bournemouth.
The buffer zone in Bournemouth is unique in that the way it has been drawn up by the local authority means that
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