At first, it seemed too absurd to believe. Surely, there must be more to the story than meets the eye.
It turns out that what was reported was quite accurate: a Christian pro-life leader in England was arrested not simply for standing in front of an abortion clinic. She was also arrested for the crime of praying while standing there, even though she was simply praying in her own head. Talk about being prosecuted for a “thought crime.” This really and truly happened.
In the words of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, leader of the UK March for Life, “It’s abhorrently wrong that I was searched, arrested, interrogated by police and charged simply for praying in the privacy of my own mind. Nobody should be criminalized for thinking and for praying, in a public space in the UK.”
A pastoral colleague had sent me the report which stated, “In yet another assault on Christianity in Britain, a pro-life activist was arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England.”
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Embedded in the article was a link to the Twitter account of Mary Margaret Olohan, which contained a video of the arrest. In the video, the police officer asks Vaughan-Spruce politely, “Are you praying?” She responds, “I might be praying in my head.” (Do I need to add my standard caveat, “I’m not making this up!”?)
While in the police station, Vaughan-Spruce was shown pictures of herself outside the abortion facility. She said she could not recall from the pictures whether she was praying at these specific moments, or whether these had been taken at times that she was distracted and thought about other things, such as her lunch. She maintains that all her thoughts were equally peaceful and imperceptible and that none should be criminalised.
Yes, she was questioned as to whether she had been praying in her own mind. This is not made up. This is not the figment of Christian paranoia. This is what literally took place.
In fact, the police actually “imposed restrictions, as part of her bail, on Vaughan-Spruce engaging in public prayer beyond the PSPO area, stating that this was necessary to prevent further offences.”
To paraphrase, “Thou shalt not pray, even in the privacy of your mind, anywhere near this abortion clinic!”
One month prior, on November 24, in Bournemouth, U.K., “Local woman Livia Tossici-Bolt was praying quietly with a friend in a public space when she was warned by local authorities that their prayer could cause ‘intimidation, harassment or distress,’ and was asked to move away.”
To be clear, I have not been quoting from Orwell’s 1984.
To the contrary, not even Big Brother could read our thoughts. Not even The Chinese Community Party of China can read its people’s minds. Not even Kim Jong-Un of North Korea imprisons alleged dissenters for daring to think a thought. Only God Almighty knows the thoughts of people’s hearts.
To repeat: This was not Orwell’s 1984. This was England in 2022. Let that sink in.
Numerous street preachers have been arrested in recent years simply for giving an honest answer to a Bible question or preaching out of certain biblical texts (most recently, see here). Now, Christian pro-lifers are being arrested for the crime of praying, either out loud or silently. Who can imagine what’s coming next?
With confidence I can say this: If the Christians (and other freedom lovers) in the U.K. And the U.S. Do not push back now, with grace, humility, kindness, and courage, there most certainly will be a “next.”
The time to speak and act (and pray!) is now.