Brickbat: Thinking Too Loudly

Video from England shows West Midlands police telling Isabel Vaughan-Spruce she had to leave a public area where she was standing alone and praying silently. He accused her of violating a buffer zone within 150 meters of an abortion facility. Under English law, "intimidation," "harassment," or  "influencing a person's decision to access" an abortion facility is illegal within such a buffer zone. The Crown Prosecution Service has ruled that silent prayer does "not necessarily" violate buffer zone laws unless it is accompanied by "overt" actions. But the officer said that because Vaughan-Spence is known to be pro-life her "mere presence" could constitute "harassment, alarm and distress."