Woman arrested while ‘praying’ near abortion clinic
British police have arrested a woman who was silently standing across the street from an abortion clinic, and admitted upon questioning that she might have been praying in her head.
Footage of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce’s encounter with police in Birmingham, England, went viral on social media this week, stirring online outrage over her detention. One video posted Thursday on Twitter had garnered 3.8 million views as of Friday afternoon.
The incident reportedly occurred on December 6, when Vaughan-Spruce was confronted by West Midlands police as she stood on a sidewalk. An officer asked what she was doing, to which she replied that she was just standing. Queried as to whether she was protesting, the 45-year-old woman said no.
Police in the UK arrest a woman for silently praying: "Are you praying?" "I might be praying in my head." pic.twitter.com/7Q8UnKmfa1
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) December 22, 2022
The officer then asked, “Are you praying?” Vaughan-Spruce replied, “I might be praying in my head.” Police proposed to take her to their station for more voluntary questioning, which she declined. The male officer responded by announcing that she was under arrest on suspicion that she violated a “public space protection order” (PSPO), which he called an “anti-social behavior.” A female officer searched and handcuffed Vaughan-Spruce.
Protests outside the Birmingham abortion clinic have been banned under a city protection order since September. The order is meant to ensure that people visiting the clinic or working there have clear access to the building “without fear of confrontation,” a city spokesperson told local media.
Vaughan-Spruce was identified as director of UK March for Life. Three police officers confronted her, reportedly because someone had complained that she might be praying outside the clinic. She was charged last week with four counts of violating a PSPO.
Crowdfunding for Vaughan-Spruce’s case, the faith-based legal defense fund ADF UK linked to a video in which the activist said she was being prosecuted for “the thoughts I’ve been thinking and where I was thinking them.”
West Midlands Police are the lowest-rated force in England and Wales, according to last year’s British Crime Survey. Just 42.5% of residents believe the department does a “good” or “excellent” job, the poll found. Only 2% of the 14,136 vehicle burglaries reported last year in West Midlands were solved.
