Can you be arrested for praying in your head?
By 
Tim Wyatt2024-11-27T09:36:00
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”.
Related articles
-
OpinionEsther Rantzen is wrong. There’s no such thing as ‘secular neutrality’
Christians should not feel intimidated by those who say our faith is not a legitimate basis from which to express an opinion. Everyone’s worldview is shaped by something, says Jamie Gillies, including humanists, atheists or secularists. Ours is no less valid
-
OpinionWhy Unite the Kingdom’s Christmas rally misses the point of Christianity
If Tommy Robinson is misappropriating the Christian faith for his own political purposes, Christians should appropriate it right back again, says George Pitcher, just as the Church of England bus stop posters have done. Let’s reclaim patriotism and use it for good this festive season
-
ReviewsOur forefathers used Christian theology to justify slavery. David Olusoga’s Empire is right to be critical
David Olusoga’s three-part BBC series on the British empire has provoked widespread debate. UK Christians should honestly confront their past without trying to balance the scales, suggests Dr Daniel Johnson
More from News Analysis
-
News AnalysisPastor Jerry Eze hosted 2025’s largest gathering of Christians in the UK. Here’s what happened
40,000 Christians gathered in London’s ExCeL for the annual New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations event. AJ Gomez reports
-
News AnalysisExplained: Who was Chris Brain and what was the Nine O’Clock Service?
Chris Brain, leader of the now-disgraced Nine O’Clock Service (NOS) has been convicted of multiple counts of indecent assault. It is the latest scandal to rock the CofE and once again poses questions around complaints that were ignored for years
-
OpinionExplained: Why it’s taking so long to choose the next Archbishop of Canterbury
The election of Pope Leo XIV has focused attention on another Church in need of a new leader. Yet what took the Catholic Church just two weeks will take the CofE almost a year. Why does it take so long, and what has gone wrong already? Tim Wyatt offers his guide to the appointment of the next ABC
- Issues
- Topics A-Z
- Writers A-Z
- © 2025 Premier Christianity
Site powered by Webvision Cloud