UK woman arrested for praying speaks out to Fox News
British woman arrested for violating protest policy near abortion center joins 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' to recount ordeal.
A British woman arrested near a Birmingham, England abortion center for praying, under a new protest prohibition statute, told Fox News she fears her situation will not be the last in the U.K.
On "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Isabel Vaughan-Spruce said she has long engaged in silent prayer outside clinics, saying dozens of women have accepted her offers of help and go on to continue their pregnancies rather than terminate them as-planned.
She explained to host Tucker Carlson how the anti-protest policy has since been used to include similar behavior at abortion centers.
"In September this year, the local council in Birmingham brought in this censorship zone, this PSPO – formerly these were used for dog fouling and drunken behavior and things like that," Vaughan-Spruce said. "But they're now popping up around the country surrounding abortion centers, and they banned behavior like protesting, but it also names prayer and counseling as forms of protesting."
PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST ARRESTED FOR PRAYING SILENTLY NEAR ABORTION FACILITY
A cross necklace hanging in front of a window (Do Seongyun via Getty Images)
"Four times, I went and stood near the closed abortion center and silently prayed there. And as you can see, the police came and asked me if I was protesting, which I wasn't. They asked me if I was praying, and I said I might be silently praying; I was arrested."
Vaughan-Spruce added authorities detained her in a cell, interrogated her regarding what she was praying about, and was later released on bail with an appearance scheduled for February on four counts of protesting and engaging in an act intimidating of service users.
However, she also said people on both sides of the abortion debate have come to her aid. Even abortion rights advocates, she said, have concerns about the protest law.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN KANSAS ANNOUNCES TELEMEDICINE ABORTIONS
A church (Pascal Deloche / Godong via Getty Images)
"That in itself is very encouraging to hear, that it's not necessarily about people who support abortion or don't support abortion. This is more to do with freedom of thought here," she said. "It's even gone further than freedom of prayer. I mean, we all talk about the cancel culture and the concerns we have about people being canceled [for] speaking in public."
Vaughan-Spruce said the idea of arresting somebody over what they are thinking, not visibly doing, is surreal, and that her supporters invoke George Orwell and his novel, "1984."
Carlson concluded what happened to Vaughan-Spruce was an "act of evil," and said British officials from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on down should not be standing aside silently..
"That's a human right. They can't take it away from you," he said in part.
Vaughan-Spruce, the Director of the UK March for Life, was standing near the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham in an area Alliance Defending Freedom-UK called a "censorship zone," when police approached her after an onlooker complained she might be praying outside the abortion facility the report said.
Birmingham's authorities established a buffer zone around abortion clinics, which makes it illegal for an individual to engage in any act or attempted act of approval or disapproval as it relates to abortion and includes "verbal or written means" like "prayer or counseling."
Fox News' Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.