In the United Kingdom, Christians who are caught “praying,” “reciting scripture,” or “crossing themselves” near an abortion clinic face up to six months in prison.
Under revamped crackdown rules aimed at reducing protests against abortion, British officials are pushing to have Christians who practise their faith too close to abortion clinics jailed.
Current legislation makes it an offence to “audibly pray” within so-called “Safe Zones” established around some abortion clinics, with violators facing a fine of up to £1,000.
Those who “recite scripture, genuflect, sprinkle holy water on the ground, or cross themselves if they perceive a service-user is [sic] passing by,” for example, are subject to fines under the existing regime in one “Safe Zone” administered by Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council (BCP Council).
According to The Telegraph, government officials are looking to significantly increase the severity of penalties for those who break their rules, with new plans aimed at cracking down on such protests including provisions to jail offenders for up to six months if they are perceived to be protesting within a buffer zone.
While establishment politicians in Britain express concern about women’s access to abortion in the United Kingdom, recent statistics appear to show that an increasing number of people in the country are having no trouble aborting their unborn children.
On the contrary, official statistics show that 214,256 abortions took place in England and Wales alone in 2021, the highest number since records began, breaking a previous record of 209,917 set only in 2020.