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New legal case: Abortion buffer zones should not be used to censor gospel preaching
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Dear friend,

I am writing to let you know about a new legal case we have taken on.

The Christian Institute is providing support to Clive Johnston, a retired pastor and grandfather of seven from Strabane in Northern Ireland. He faces prosecution for preaching on John 3:16 just inside an abortion censorship zone.

Clive Johnston picture

Clive, 76, had been speaking at an open-air service on the other side of a dual carriageway from Coleraine’s Causeway Hospital on Sunday 7 July 2024 when he was cautioned by police. An officer claimed Clive was breaking the ‘Safe Access Zones’ law. Crucially, however, he had made no reference – express or implied – to abortion.

On 21 March, his lawyers will appear briefly at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court, where they will indicate that Clive intends to contest claims that he was seeking to ‘influence’ people accessing the hospital’s abortion services. If convicted, Pastor Clive, who has never been in trouble with the police, faces a criminal record and maximum fines totalling thousands of pounds.

Abortion censorship zones were controversially introduced to Northern Ireland in 2023 after pro-abortion lobbyists claimed they were necessary to protect abortion centres’ staff and visitors from protestors.

Many people believe these zones are already unjust. Now they are being used to try to censor gospel preaching. This goes well beyond what the public were told they were for. It is an outrageous clamp-down on freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

No one should be criminalised for preaching God’s love to a broken and needy world. The principle of gospel freedom is at stake. Please keep Clive and the legal team in your prayers.

Read our full press release ([link removed]) .

Yours in Christ,
Ciarán Kelly
Director
The Christian Institute
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