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Original poster

Woman arrested in Birmingham for praying outside abortion clinic

278 replies

bagthoughts · 26/12/2022 10:17

How on earth can someone be arrested for silently praying?

Is there more to the story perhaps that is not being reported because if not I find this ridiculous and scary - what is the world coming to?

We can get arrested for our thoughts WTAF. Whether you agree or not with abortion this is just wrong.

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 26/12/2022 10:18

I believe she was arrested the breaching the exclusion zone

Original poster
bagthoughts · 26/12/2022 10:18

@Hoppinggreen what do you mean what's the exclusion zone?

OP posts:
GodisaBC · 26/12/2022 10:20

She knew full well she was breaking the law

bestchristmasever · 26/12/2022 10:20

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/isabel-vaughan-spruce-45-charged-25794626.amp

Good. She broke the law. She shouldn't have been there.

OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 26/12/2022 10:20

bagthoughts · 26/12/2022 10:18

@Hoppinggreen what do you mean what's the exclusion zone?

A lot of clinics have a legally enforced exclusion zone around them of x amount of metres. This is to stop pro lifers from hassling women.

It is right she was arrested for breaking the exclusion zone. You can't tell us she wasn't there as a pro lifer and doing it to cause distress to women. There are plenty of other places she can pray.

Cornettoninja · 26/12/2022 10:21

This is so obviously set up and staged. I’m willing to believe that’s she’s generally a pain in the arse and is there on a regular basis harassing people. Quietly or not.

This reeks of childish ‘it’s free space’ taunting whilst waving your hands mm’s from someone’s face.

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 26/12/2022 10:22

She was making the access to a vital service more stressful for the women who need that service. It is a deliberate act to cause anxiety for women. This is why there are exclusions. She knew what she was doing.
If she wants to pray 🤷‍♀️, go to a church.

Bouncebacker · 26/12/2022 10:22

If you want to pray for unborn souls or whatever- surely you can do that from home, or in church, (God is, as I understand it from my vague knowledge of Christianity, everywhere) but no one else has the right to intimate or even deepen the guilt felt by people who are making the impossibly hard choice to terminate a pregnancy- exclusion zones exist for really good reasons

BadgerButty · 26/12/2022 10:22

There is more to this story. History of intimidation against women visiting the clinic. Something called a PSPO in place which was breached. Hence the arrest. But that doesn’t make as ‘juicy’ a headline as ‘woman arrested for praying’. It’s lazy sensationalist reporting

bigdecisionstomake · 26/12/2022 10:23

I agree this is a good thing - exclusion zones are there for a reason, so employees and clients can have a clear and unobstructed route to their place of employment/the service they wish to use.

She should be able to pray without interference but only as the law permits, outside of the exclusion zone.

DiddyHeck · 26/12/2022 10:24

Good.

Let's not pretend she wasn't 'making a point' by standing there in front of the clinic.

If she wanted to pray for anyone there, she could've done it at home 🙄

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 26/12/2022 10:24

bagthoughts · 26/12/2022 10:17

How on earth can someone be arrested for silently praying?

Is there more to the story perhaps that is not being reported because if not I find this ridiculous and scary - what is the world coming to?

We can get arrested for our thoughts WTAF. Whether you agree or not with abortion this is just wrong.

Because she had breached a legal exclusion zone and was enforcing her religious belief and condemnation upon staff and clients going about their legal way.

If God is omniscient she could have stayed at home and prayed with equal effect. But she chose not to. She chose to ostentatiously pray somewhere she was explicitly excluded from.

Religion being used as a weapon is never a good thing.

lunar1 · 26/12/2022 10:25

Good, anybody making things more stressful for women seeking abortion should be arrested. She could pray from home.

Hugasauras · 26/12/2022 10:25

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 26/12/2022 10:22

She was making the access to a vital service more stressful for the women who need that service. It is a deliberate act to cause anxiety for women. This is why there are exclusions. She knew what she was doing.
If she wants to pray 🤷‍♀️, go to a church.

Yep. The only reason she is there is for intimidation and shaming. You don't have to be physically violent or loud to be intimidating and this is exactly what the exclusion zone is designed for.

NuffSaidSam · 26/12/2022 10:25

bagthoughts · 26/12/2022 10:17

How on earth can someone be arrested for silently praying?

Is there more to the story perhaps that is not being reported because if not I find this ridiculous and scary - what is the world coming to?

We can get arrested for our thoughts WTAF. Whether you agree or not with abortion this is just wrong.

She didn't get arrested for her thoughts, she got arrested got her actions.

If she wants to pray about abortion (or anything else) she absolutely can. She can't do that while physically standing, for example, in the middle of the road, on the runway at Heathrow, uninvited on someone else's property or in the exclusion zone outside an abortion clinic.

It's an extremely simple and easy to understand policy.

Getoff · 26/12/2022 10:25

She wasn't arrested for "silently praying". If her behaviour was indistinguishable from any passer-by in the street, there would have been no reason to arrest her.

ThreeFeetTall · 26/12/2022 10:26

'Woman arrested for breaching court order'

luxxlisbon · 26/12/2022 10:26

We can get arrested for our thoughts WTAF. Whether you agree or not with abortion this is just wrong.

No it’s not, going to hang around an abortion clinic when you know you are within the exclusion zone is just wrong. The only goal of people like this is to intimidate women attending the clinic.
If you want to ‘silently pray’ do it at home.

DiddyHeck · 26/12/2022 10:27

Getoff · 26/12/2022 10:25

She wasn't arrested for "silently praying". If her behaviour was indistinguishable from any passer-by in the street, there would have been no reason to arrest her.

Yep, that's blatantly obvious isn't it?

I mean we didn't even have to watch the video to work that out. I'm surprised it didn't occur to the OP at all.

And as for Fox News, biased reporting or what?

Tigofigo · 26/12/2022 10:28

Would love to know what OP thinks now?

NextPrimeMinister · 26/12/2022 10:28

Good. I'm glad.

She broke the law.

Cornettoninja · 26/12/2022 10:28

We can get arrested for our thoughts WTAF. Whether you agree or not with abortion this is just wrong

Except she wasn’t arrested for her thoughts was she? She was arrested for her physical presence.

HiccupHorrendousHaddock · 26/12/2022 10:28

Because if she wanted to pray she could do so at home or in her place of worship.

She is making a point and by protesting this way is harrassing women facing difficult decisions about their fertility. She can stick her judgement where the sun doesn't shine.

Praying within the dexclusion zone is not a neutral act.

Pianofar · 26/12/2022 10:28

Good. There's an exclusion zone for a reason and she knew what she was doing.

watchfulwishes · 26/12/2022 10:29

She was breaching the exclusion zone without any legitimate reason.

She could pray, silently or otherwise, outside the exclusion zone if she wished to.

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