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UK pro-lifer again harassed by police while silently praying near abortion center

By Dorothy Cummings McLeanFebruary 10, 2025 at 11:28 AM
UK pro-lifer again harassed by police while silently praying near abortion center
ADF UK | Isabel Vaughan-Spruce

In support of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, ADF International stated on X (formerly Twitter), 'Nobody should be banned from a public area just because of their beliefs. THIS is two-tier policing.'

(LifeSiteNews) -- A well-known English pro-life witness has been harassed by police just for appearing within the vicinity of an abortion center.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who has been wrongly arrested for praying silently outside an abortion business, has once again been approached by police for standing still.

A video recording a member of the West Midlands Police arguing with Vaughan-Spruce was published Monday morning by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International. The altercation took place in Birmingham last week.

Although Vaughan-Spruce received a payout of £13,000 ($16,000) in August 2024 from West Midlands Police for her wrongful arrest in November 2022, she was again accosted by police and asked to move, as her “mere presence” was allegedly “causing people harassment.”

“Me personally, I'm not allowed to come [within] this 150 meters of an abortion center?” Vaughan-Spruce asked incredulously.

“With you being the leader of an organization, it's causing people harassment and stress,” the unnamed police officer stated, while acknowledging that she wasn’t “saying anything.”

“So because somebody knows who I am, then that's causing them harassment?” she responded.

“Because you're the leader of an anti-abortion organization, it is causing people issues,” the policeman replied.

He asked Vaughan-Spruce to move away and told her that she knew that she shouldn’t be there. The pro-life witness disagreed, saying that she was perfectly entitled to be there.

“I’m literally just standing here silently saying some prayers,” she informed him.

Vaughan-Spruce is a co-director of the March for Life UK and campaign director for 40 Days for Life Birmingham.

In support of the pro-life witness, ADF International stated on X (formerly Twitter), “Nobody should be banned from a public area just because of their beliefs. THIS is two-tier policing.”

According to ADF International, "two-tier policing" is a situation in which peaceful demonstrators are subject to greater oversight and harsher treatment by police than criminals and violent protesters.

World
February 10, 2025 at 11:28 AM
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Dorothy Cummings McLean

Dorothy Cummings McLean is a Canadian journalist, essayist, and novelist. She earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto and an M.Div./S.T.B. from Toronto’s Regis College. She was a columnist for the Toronto Catholic Register for nine years and has contributed to Catholic World Report. Her first book, Seraphic Singles,  was published by Novalis (2010) in Canada, Liguori in the USA, and Homo Dei in Poland. Her second, Ceremony of Innocence, was published by Ignatius Press (2013). Dorothy lives near Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband.
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Article At A Glance

  • In support of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, ADF International stated on X (formerly Twitter), 'Nobody should be banned from a public area just because of their beliefs. THIS is two-tier policing.'

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