A British army veteran was recently convicted for the simple act of praying silently near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England, highlighting the growing conflict between government overreach and fundamental rights of freedom of religion, thought and conscience.

Adam Smith-Connor was found guilty of breaching a Public Spaces Protection Order after being questioned by police for praying near an abortion clinic. He was given a conditional discharge, which means he will only be sentenced if convicted of further offences in the next two years. Five local councils have implemented buffer zones near abortion clinics in the UK; the newly elected Labor government has committed to implementing them at every abortion clinic around the country by the end of October.

Smith-Connor, a former soldier who served in Afghanistan, was praying for his son, who had been aborted many years earlier. His silent act of prayer was considered a violation of the buffer zone law, which prohibits acts of disapproval or influence related to abortion near such clinics. Although Smith-Connor stood quietly, with his back to the facility and without interacting with anyone, he was confronted by police and subsequently fined.

His defence team, supported by ADF International, argued that his silent thoughts and beliefs should not be criminalised. They asserted that Smith-Connor’s actions were peaceful, standing on public grounds without speaking to anyone. Despite these arguments, the court ruled that his silent prayer was an expression of disapproval of abortion, violating the local law.

Reflecting on the court’s ruling, Smith-Connor expressed his disbelief, stating that “today, the court has decided that certain thoughts — silent thoughts — can be illegal in the United Kingdom”. He said:

“I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon. I continue that spirit of service as a healthcare professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thought crimes are now being prosecuted in the UK”.

Following the ruling, Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK called it a “legal turning point of immense proportions,” saying:

“A man has been convicted today because of the content of his thoughts – his prayers to God – on the public streets of England. We can hardly sink any lower in our neglect of basic fundamental freedoms of speech and thought”.

Australia also has abortion exclusion zone laws that are now enforced across all states and territories.

Columnist Monica Doumit, commenting on Mr Smith-Connor’s case, said:

“The problem with these laws, which exist in every Australian jurisdiction and will be rolled out across the UK at the end of this month, is that if Smith-Connor had been praying for an end to the war in the Ukraine, or the Holy Land, or for a lottery win, or even for his football team to win on the weekend, he would likely have escaped charge.

The overreach of a government that seeks to control not only a person’s outward behaviour, but also their thoughts is something increasingly characteristic of supposedly western, civilised nations, even if they are more akin to what could be expected of totalitarian regimes”.