Vice President JD Vance Denounces British Arrests of Pro-Lifers for Silent Prayer

At the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivered a powerful speech condemning the increasing restrictions on religious liberty in the United Kingdom. His remarks highlighted the growing threats to conscience rights and free speech, particularly as they pertain to pro-life advocates facing legal consequences for engaging in silent prayer near abortion clinics.

Pro-Lifers in the UK Targeted for Prayer

Vance specifically referenced the case of Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and Army veteran, who was arrested in November 2022 for silently praying near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. “A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor… with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes,” Vance stated, according to LifeSiteNews.

The Vice President detailed how Smith-Connor was found guilty of violating the UK’s buffer zone law, which criminalizes prayer and other actions that could “influence a person’s decision” within 200 meters of an abortion facility. “Nobody should be prosecuted for silent prayer,” Smith-Connor remarked before his trial. “It is unfathomable that in an apparently free society, I am being criminally charged on the basis of my silent thoughts, in the privacy of my own mind. It’s no different than being tried for a thoughtcrime” (LifeSiteNews).

Smith-Connor was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to pay £9,000 ($11,700). His case, according to pro-life advocates, symbolizes a dangerous precedent where religious individuals are punished for their interior thoughts rather than their outward actions.

The Expansion of Buffer Zones and Criminalizing Prayer at Home

Vance also pointed to the persecution of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a well-known pro-life activist and co-director of March for Life UK. She has been “fined, harassed, and wrongly arrested by police on multiple occasions since 2022” for praying silently near abortion clinics, according to LifeSiteNews. When confronted by law enforcement earlier this month, she responded, “I’m literally just standing here silently saying some prayers.”

The UK’s buffer zone legislation expanded in October 2023 with the passage of the Public Order Act, making the ban on prayer and pro-life advocacy outside all abortion facilities in England and Wales a national policy. Even more concerning, Scotland has gone further, warning residents that praying inside their own homes could be deemed a violation of the law if they live within 200 meters of an abortion facility. “The backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs,” Vance declared (LifeSiteNews).

The Scottish government has encouraged residents to report neighbors suspected of violating these restrictions by contacting Police Scotland. Vance criticized this approach as an Orwellian effort to police thoughts and personal religious practices, calling it an example of “thoughtcrime.”

Catholic Leaders Condemn the Attack on Religious Liberty

Catholic leaders and pro-life organizations have strongly opposed these developments, arguing that such laws directly contradict fundamental human rights. Michael Robinson, Executive Director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) Scotland, described the measures as “chilling” and “Orwellian.”

“This move appears to be wholly incompatible with Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which explicitly protects freedom of religion and belief, stating that everyone has the right to ‘manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance,’ whether alone or with others, in public or in private. Criminalizing silent prayer strikes at the very heart of this freedom” (LifeSiteNews).

Robinson emphasized that these laws are not about protecting women but rather about silencing opposition to abortion and restricting fundamental freedoms. “It hands aggressive secularist zealots the tools to shut down legitimate, peaceful pro-life vigils and even control personal religious expression, including silent prayer,” he warned.

The Catholic Response: A Call to Action

For Catholics, these legal battles are more than a political issue—they are a spiritual battle against forces seeking to remove God from public life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that “the right to religious liberty is based on the very dignity of the human person” (CCC 1738). If silent prayer itself is criminalized, faithful Catholics must ask: what’s next?

Vance’s speech is a wake-up call for Christians worldwide to stand firm in defense of religious freedom. It is a reminder that, as Christ warned, His followers will face persecution (John 15:20). Catholics must remain vigilant, support pro-life efforts, and pray—silently or aloud—for the protection of life and religious liberty.

The battle for the unborn is not just fought in political chambers but in the hearts and minds of the faithful. As Vance concluded in his remarks, “Free speech, I fear, is in retreat” (LifeSiteNews). For Catholics, now is the time to defend it.