The United States Department of State recently strongly condemned the persecution of pro-life protestors throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, resulting from the United Kingdom’s various “buffer zone” laws that forbid any pro-life advocacy or protesting — even in the form of silent prayer — within close proximity to abortion clinics.
“The United States is still monitoring many ‘buffer zone’ cases in the UK, as well as other acts of censorship throughout Europe,” a state department spokesperson told the Telegraph in an Aug. 18 report. “The UK’s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the shared values that ought to underpin US-UK relations. It is common sense that standing silently and offering consensual conversation does not constitute harm.”
CatholicVote reported this week that the State Department applauded Scotland’s decision to drop charges against Rose Docherty, a 75-year-old woman who was arrested for standing near an abortion clinic with a sign that said, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”
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“We applaud Scotland’s sensible decision to refrain from further legal action against Rose Docherty,” a state department spokesperson told the Telegraph in an Aug. 16 report. “The United States stands with all those fighting for free speech and religious liberty.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed concern over the free speech violations in England, Scotland, and Wales, especially those resulting from “buffer zone” laws. In April, the state department stated that it was monitoring the case of Livia Tossici-Bolt, a retired medical scientist who was brought to trial for standing near an abortion clinic with a sign that said “here to talk, if you want.”
LifeNews Note: Grace Porto writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.
The post Trump Admin Slams UK for Denying Pro-Life People Free Speech appeared first on LifeNews.com.
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Author: Grace Porto
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