(LifeSiteNews) — There was a time when standing quietly on a public street in the U.K. was not a crime. That time has passed.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is a pro-life charitable volunteer in Birmingham. She was recently charged by West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for the simple act of standing in the vicinity of an abortion clinic.
Her case marks the first time a person has been accused of violating the country’s new abortion “buffer zone” law, which went into effect on October 2024 under Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023. The law prohibits “influencing” anyone’s decision to access, provide, or facilitate abortion services within 150 meters of an abortion center. Notably, it does not mention silent prayer. Yet Vaughan-Spruce is now facing criminal consequences for doing precisely that.
A recent video posted on the X account of ADF International reveals the latest harassment she has endured. The footage shows a policeman telling her that to stand “directly outside” the clinic is illegal.
🚨BREAKING: UK Christian, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, has been criminally charged AGAIN
For standing, praying silently, holding pro-life views in her mind within 150m of an abortion facility
This is the FIRST case under the new “buffer zones” law
Is silent prayer really a CRIME? pic.twitter.com/DgtfRPzdUb
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) December 17, 2025
The incident is not an isolated event. It is the culmination of years of direct targeting.
Vaughan-Spruce is no stranger to the police. In November 2022, she was arrested while standing silently on the sidewalk in Birmingham. When officers questioned her, she explained: “I might be praying in my head, but I’ve said nothing out loud.” That arrest — also captured on video — went viral and sparked international outrage.
Weeks later, she was arrested again for the “thoughtcrime” of silent prayer. At the time, a total of six police officers attended the scene, with one confirming to her that “you’ve said you’re engaging in prayer, which is the offense.”
In the first case, the courts said that the evidence against her could not be proved. Eventually, the courts sided with her and the police had to apologize for their efforts in 2023. In 2024, Vaughan-Spruce sued West Midlands Police and won £13,000 ($16,850) in damages, with the court acknowledging wrongful arrest and other violations that its officers conducted.
Under the new national buffer zone law, Vaughan-Spruce, who serves as the co-director of the March for Life UK and the campaign director for 40 Days for Life Birmingham, has again found herself under investigation.
Earlier this year she was again approached by a policeman while near an abortion center. A video shows a member of the West Midlands Police arguing with her stating, “With you being the leader of an organization, it’s causing people harassment and stress,” without providing any evidence.
Fast forward to today: it has just been confirmed that a “live investigation” of Vaughan-Spruce is yet again underway.
On December 16, the Attorney General confirmed in Parliament — in response to a question from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman — that Crown Police issued proceedings against her under Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023.
Oddly, Vaughan-Spruce herself was never informed of the charges. She only learned of it later via a letter from West Midlands Police.
ADF International has said that CPS guidance on the law states that silent prayer of itself is not enough to be illegal unless it is accompanied by “overt” activity. Yet Vaughan-Spruce has always insisted that she has never done anything rising to that level. Nor do the police have any solid proof showing she has.
The real reason Vaughan-Spruce is being persecuted seems to be that the U.K. wants to prohibit any and all opposition to abortion, even prayer itself. What the government appears to be testing is not merely enforcement of buffer zones, but the limits of state power over a person’s conscience. Talk about 1984-level tyranny.
Despite the harassment, Vaughan-Spruce continues to quietly yet boldly witness to the truth of the evil of abortion in her country. Pro-lifers the world over should replicate her admirable efforts and offer up prayers for her this Christmas season as she continues to endure this heavy trial, all for saving lives.
