Legal battle ensues for priest over praying for free speech and pro-life bumper sticker

Image credit: ADF UK

A legal battle ensues for a Catholic priest in Birmingham after he was charged for praying silently for free speech outside an abortion clinic, because it was considered a breach of the censorship zone in the area. A second charge was made against him due to his car having a pro-life bumper sticker.

Fr Sean Gough, a Catholic priest from Birmingham, was standing within a censorship zone surrounding an abortion clinic when he was praying for free speech, as indicated by the sign he was holding that stated “praying for freedom of speech”. The abortion clinic, located on Station Road in Birmingham, has had a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in the surrounding area since November of last year, that prohibits activities that is considered a “protest”, more specifically any pro-life protests, as well as prayer and handing out information to women about pregnancy help centres.

Image credit: ADF UK

According to ADF UK, when Fr Gough was approached by the police, they told him they believed he was not breaking any laws. However, the priest was then asked to be interviewed at the police station where he was subsequently charged with “intimidating service-users”. This was despite the abortion clinic being closed on the day of his presence. He received a further charge against him over a pro-life bumper sticker on his car, stating “unborn lives matter”, which was parked within the area at the time.

Image credit: ADF UK

“I pray wherever I go, inside my head, for the people around me. How can it be a crime for a priest to pray? I often pray in my head near the abortion facility, but at the time in question, I was praying for free speech, which is under severe pressure in our country today. At all times, I believed my actions to be lawful – freedom of expression, especially when peaceful, is protected in domestic and international law. It is deeply undemocratic to censor public streets, particularly those spaces where we know that many women have benefitted from peaceful offers of help about services available,” Fr Gough said in a statement released by ADF UK.

“A large part of my ministry is working for ‘Rachel’s Vineyard,’ a charity that supports the healing of hundreds of women and men in the UK every year wounded by abortion. I don’t judge or condemn those who have had abortions – but volunteer my time to work for their healing,” he said when discussing his voluntary work for women facing crisis pregnancies.

“It’s an issue that means a lot to me because my mom made a bold choice for life when I was a baby. I was conceived in the context of severe violence, and she found the grace and strength to fight for us both. So many people thought she should abort me, but by the grace of God, she didn’t, and we’re both so grateful for that today,” he continued.

The news of this case comes shortly after pro-life volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce had the charges against her dropped, after being arrested for praying silently outside the same abortion clinic, which again was closed at the time.

As with Vaughan-Spruce’s case, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges against Fr Gough, but told him the charges could be reinstated and prosecuted at a later date, and thus is now seeking a clear verdict on the case. 

“The process in and of itself has become the punishment for people like Father Sean, who face onerous legal battles simply for holding peaceful views in certain public spaces, against the will of authorities. Nobody should be criminalised for peaceful activities like praying for the state of free speech in our country, or having a simple bumper sticker on their car that expresses a belief that ‘unborn lives matter’. This case demonstrates the far-reaching and illiberal consequences of so-called ‘buffer zones’. Father Sean’s years of service to women in crisis pregnancies are testimony to the good of his character and intention,” commented Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, the organisation supporting Father Sean Gough.

“Father Sean is understandably seeking clarity as to the lawfulness of his actions. Though charges were dropped after several weeks due to ‘insufficient evidence,’ he has been warned that further evidence relating to the charges may soon be forthcoming, implying the entire grueling process could soon restart from the beginning. This is a clear instance of the process becoming the punishment and creating a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the UK – a value that this government, incidentally, had promised to champion in their election manifesto”, he continued.

“ADF UK remains committed to supporting Father Sean’s pursuit of a verdict. No one should fear prosecution for expressing peaceful beliefs, let alone on a small bumper sticker, nor through a sign that simply reads ‘praying for free speech’.”

In light of Fr Gough’s case, ADF UK have launched an open letter to British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, urging her to reject any attempts to implement censorship zones outside abortion clinics across the UK.

“We all condemn the harassment of women in any circumstances. According to a Home Office Review in 2018, instances of harassment outside of abortion facilities are rare, and police already have the powers to deal with such situations appropriately. The most common activities outside abortion facilities are either praying, or offering leaflets about charitable help available for women who would like to avoid abortion if they had another option. Neither of these activities should be criminal,” the letter read.

“We, the undersigned, therefore ask you to protect freedom of speech. Please protect human rights, and commission a review into pro-life activity outside abortion facilities before issuing blanket bans,” it concluded.