Can you be arrested for praying in your head?

The national roll out of buffer zones around abortion clinics is leading to more pro-life activists being arrested

It might seem absurd but, as of last month, a new law has come into force which could criminalise what Christians pray, silently in their heads, if they are standing in the wrong place.

At the heart of the issue is the question of abortion. The Public Order Act 2023 ostensibly targets disruptive protests, inspired by the likes of Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. But during parliamentary debate, an extra amendment was added by MPs which created special buffer zones around abortion clinics. Now, if you are within 150m of anywhere offering abortion services, it is a criminal offence to influence a person’s decision to access those services, to obstruct them from going inside or to cause “harassment, alarm or distress”.