Vice President JD Vance faced swift backlash for asserting a Scottish law is banning prayer within private homes near abortion facilities, but the law certainly does raise concerns about individual rights, particularly given its ambiguity.
During a speech last week at the Munich Security Conference, the 40-year-old Vance said the Scottish government delivered letters to residents whose homes are within the perimeters of so-called “safe access zones” surrounding abortion clinics, the BBC reported.
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The vice president referenced, as CBN News reported, the case of Adam Smith-Connor, a man in Bournemouth convicted last October for praying silently within the “safe access zone” of an abortion clinic in November 2022.
“I wish I could say that this was a fluke, a one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person,” Vance said. “But, no, this [was] last October. Just a few months ago, the Scottish government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called ‘safe access zones,’ warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law.”
Critics of Vance immediately argued the letter distributed to residents living near abortion clinics never explicitly stated “prayer” could be considered an “offense.” Instead, the letter purportedly stated simply “activities” could be in violation of the law.
A spokesperson for the Scottish government told the BBC, “Private prayer at home is not prohibited within ‘safe access zones,’ and no letter has ever suggested it was. ‘Safe access zones’ are designed to safeguard a woman’s right to access healthcare and protect their right to dignity and respect when they need it most.”
The representative went on to say the law is centered on “only intentional or reckless behavior close to a small number of premises providing abortion services” and “it does not — and has never been intended to — criminalize any particular action, including silent prayer.”
The Alliance Defending Freedom U.K. posted a photo of the alleged letter to X:
Could having a conversation about abortion in your OWN HOME while the windows are open be a criminal offence in Scotland? pic.twitter.com/3VKtJCS9pc
— ADF UK (@ADF_UK) October 10, 2024
At best, it seems, the letter could have a chilling effect on residents living near abortion clinics.
The new law went into effect Sept. 24, 2024, and it bans — among other things — “silent vigils,” “handing out leaflets,” and “religious preaching” within about 650 feet of the boundaries of abortion facilities.
Additionally, among the “activities” that could be cause for citation is “influencing someone’s decision to access, provide, or facilitate the provision of abortion service.”
A government site explaining the statute delineates, “This list is not exhaustive and enforcement agencies will reach their own decisions on whether an offense has been committed. Safe access zones help ensure women and girls can access abortion services without fear or intimidation, and protect staff working at these locations.”
The law, one British pro-life activist asserted, “is being misapplied to prayer.” Lois McLatchie Miller made the comment after posting a clip purportedly showing Scottish police approaching pro-life activist Rose Docherty.
BREAKING: Scottish police filmed applying “buffer zone” law to “silent vigil”, despite recent denials from the Scottish government!
“Am I committing an offence?”
“Yes, I believe you are conducting a silent vigil”
Vance was right. The law IS being misapplied to prayer pic.twitter.com/Gsm0x4yspM
— Lois McLatchie Miller (@LoisMcLatch) February 18, 2025
It appeared the officers were explaining to Docherty — who was holding a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want” — that her “silent vigil” near an abortion facility was illegal.
“Vance was right,” wrote Miller.
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