Silent Prayer in Abortion Clinic Buffer Zones Not Unlawful, Government Says

Silent prayer around abortion clinics in England and Wales is not an offence under the Public Order Act 2023, the Home Office said on Monday. In a draft guidance on enforcing the new buffer zone law, the Home Office said prayers shouldn’t be automatically considered unlawful, and that silent prayer isn’t unlawful “under any circumstances” unless the person’s “conduct is also intrusive.” The non-statutory draft guidance was published for consultation after an offence was created to ban certain activities within 150 metres of an abortion clinic, an area defined as a “safe access zone (SAZ).” Before the nationwide law was introduced, a number of local authorities already created their own abortion clinic buffer zones in recent years by issuing Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), leading to a number of arrests over silent prayers in the zones....