‘Concerning’: US gov’t speaks out after Christian woman prosecuted in UK for silently praying
A British woman has been charged under a new U.K. law for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, prompting the United States government to call the case “concerning” and a threat to religious liberty.
The woman, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a 48-year-old Catholic charity volunteer, is the first person to face criminal prosecution under Section 9 of the U.K.’s Public Order Act 2023, which bans any act deemed as “influencing” within 150 meters of abortion facilities, The Telegraph reported.
Vaughan-Spruce was informed of the charges by West Midlands Police in March. She had been under investigation since January for standing near a clinic in Birmingham on multiple occasions, where she was silently praying, according to the legal advocacy group ADF International.
The new law, which came into effect in October 2024, replaced local buffer zone rules and applies nationwide. It carries no specific reference to silent prayer but prohibits any act that could influence someone’s decision to access, provide or facilitate abortion services. Penalties include an unlimited fine.
A U.S. State Department spokesman told The Telegraph that the decision to prosecute Vaughan-Spruce “is not only concerning in terms of its impact on respect for the fundamental freedoms of expression and religion or belief, but is also an unwelcome departure from the shared values that ought to underpin U.S.-UK relations.”
The charges state that Vaughan-Spruce, between June and November 2024, stood four times within the defined buffer zone near a Birmingham abortion facility with the alleged intention to influence. She is due to appear in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 29, 2026.
This is not Vaughan-Spruce’s first legal encounter over silent prayer.
In December 2022, she was arrested under a local Public Spaces Protection Order, but the case was later dismissed. After a second arrest in March 2023, she received a formal apology and £13,000 (roughly $17,500) in damages from West Midlands Police.
ADF International, which is supporting her legal defence, said the prosecution rests on an interpretation of the law that treats silent prayer as criminal behavior.
Legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole stated that buffer zones are being applied in ways that “target innocent people who happen to stand in a certain place and believe a certain thing.”
Vaughan-Spruce said it was “unbelievable” that she had been charged again after being vindicated in previous cases, and insisted that “silent prayer — or holding pro-life beliefs — cannot possibly be a crime.”
The law itself does not define silent prayer as illegal. Guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service says silent prayer does not automatically meet the threshold for criminality unless accompanied by overt activity. Nonetheless, Vaughan-Spruce has been repeatedly questioned by officers about whether she was praying.
Her case drew international attention when U.S. Vice President JD Vance cited it during a speech at the Munich Security Conference. He called it an example of Europe’s retreat from basic liberties and pointed to similar prosecutions as evidence of declining conscience rights.
Vance also referred to the case of Adam Smith-Connor, a British army veteran convicted for praying silently near a clinic in 2022. Smith-Connor was found guilty of breaching a local protection order and received a two-year conditional discharge and a £9,000 ($10,500) bill in legal costs, according to The Times of London.
The U.S. Office of the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom also commented on the matter via social media.
“Make no mistake — this undermines free speech and religious liberty,” the department said in a post on X, supporting Vaughan-Spruce and others who face penalties for similar actions.
Lara Trump, speaking on Fox News, called Vaughan-Spruce’s story “egregious” and said it was part of a pattern of censorship in the U.K. She also mentioned Clive Johnston, who was arrested in Northern Ireland in 2024 for holding an open-air service near an abortion facility.
In November, the U.S. government said it was considering asylum options for individuals prosecuted under speech-related offenses in the U.K. Categories included pro-life campaigners and others accused of “thought crimes.”
The White House has also expressed concerns that laws restricting free expression in Europe could contribute to “civilisational erasure.”
