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Send a message of support to Isabel Vaughan-Spruce - arrested for silently praying near an abortion clinic
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Dear
SPUC supporter,
On Monday night, I shared with you the sad news that the House of Lords have approved introducing buffer zones at the Report Stage of the Public Order Bill. We will let you know when there’s a date for the Bill returning to the House of Commons, so you can lobby your elected representative on this issue.
However, there is something you can do now. Isabel Vaughan-Spruce may soon appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court, charged with breaching a Public Space Protection Order by praying outside an abortion clinic.
In case you missed this story, these are the facts. Isabel Vaughan-Spruce runs the national pro-life organisation, March for Life UK. She also takes part in peaceful, prayerful vigils outside the BPAS abortion clinic in Kings Norton. On December 6 2022, Isabel was standing outside the clinic praying silently. The clinic was closed. No BPAS staff or women seeking an abortion were entering or leaving the clinic. The police came up to Isabel and arrested her, stating that she had breached the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), said by Birmingham City Council to have been introduced to ensure ‘people visiting and working there have clear access without fear of confrontation’. Isabel was questioned and searched at the scene. She was charged on 15 December 2022.
Can you send a message of support to Isabel? We have set up a webpage to allow supporters to send Isabel a message ahead of her court appearance.
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Isabel’s arrest is a violation of freedom of speech, including the right to religious expression. A mere thought, a simple prayer, voiced within the privacy of a person’s head has become a chargeable offence. Thoughtcrime is now a reality.
Nobody should be criminalised for thinking or for praying, in a public space in the UK.
It is not easy to stand up for life in this way. Please consider sending a message of solidarity to Isabel Vaughan-Spruce to ensure that she is supported and bolstered in the fight for life and basic civil rights.
Thank you for standing with us for life.
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Alithea Williams
Public Policy Manager
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