In a case straight out of “1984,” a grieving father has been convicted after saying a silent prayer for his dead son in a so-called “safe zone” near an abortion facility.
Adam Smith-Connor, 51, went afoul of the United Kingdom’s government in November 2022 when he bowed his head in prayer at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service in Bournemouth, England, according to the BBC.
Police officers approached him at the time, asking “what is the nature of your prayer?” according to the Christian legal group ADF UK.
A public space protection order was in effect around the facility’s perimeter at the time of Smith-Connor’s prayer.
The safe zone was put in place one month before Smith-Connor’s private vigil, according to the BBC.
Any activity supporting or denouncing abortion is prohibited within the zone. According to the Bournemouth council, a majority of people support the zone, the BBC reported.
Smith-Connor told the court he was praying for his unborn son. According to the man, a British military veteran, his son was aborted 22 years before his silent conversation with God.
According to the BBC, District Judge Orla Austin called his actions “deliberate” on Wednesday and slapped the vet with nearly $12,000 in fines and a two-year conditional discharge.
The decision left Smith-Connor, experts and politicians disgusted.
Is prayer under threat in the United States of America?
Yes: 99% (82 Votes)
No: 1% (1 Votes)
“Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts – silent thoughts – can be illegal in the United Kingdom,” Smith-Conner told Christian legal group ADF UK. “That cannot be right.
“All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind – and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?”
Miriam Cates, a former member of the U.K. Parliament for the Conservative Party, drew comparisons with an Orwellian dystopia.
“This isn’t ‘1984,’ but 2024 — nobody should be on trial for the mere thoughts they hold in their mind,” Cates told AFD UK.
“It’s outrageous that the local council are pouring taxpayer funding into prosecuting a thoughtcrime, at a time where resources are stretched thin.”
Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, called the judge’s decision a “turning point of immense proportions,” saying the country can “hardly sink any lower” in the abuse of basic human rights.
It’s important to remember that the United States, a longtime beacon of hope and freedom in the world, can trace its lineage to people unfairly persecuted for their faith in the British Isles.
While prayer is not illegal in America yet, the enshrinement of abortion in the progressive pantheon could present a challenge to that in the future.
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