80% polled disagree as pro-life prayer woman targeted for THIRD time

Image credit: Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) / Marco Ceschi via Unsplash

A recent poll has shown that 80% of people disagree that silent prayer should be banned after it was revealed that a pro-life activist is being currently investigated for the third time for praying silently outside an abortion clinic, despite having been acquitted twice before and received a formal apology from the police.

Back in December 2022, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a pro-life activist based in Birmingham, was arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic which was within the buffer zone that had been placed around the clinic. At the time of Ms Vaughan-Spruce’s presence, the abortion clinic was closed.

In February 2023, Ms Vaughan-Spruce, alongside Fr Sean Gough who had been arrested for the same reason, was acquitted by the court.

“I’m glad I’ve been completely vindicated of any wrongdoing but I should never have been arrested and treated like a criminal simply for silently praying on a public street,” Ms Vaughan-Spruce said on the court steps.

“After being arrested I was asked by the police what I was silently praying for. I told them I was praying for people like my friend Amy who was raped and became pregnant and was pressured into having an abortion which she deeply regretted, for people like Natalia who took the abortion pills then passed her baby at home and saw that child down the toilet which deeply traumatised her, for people like Kirsty who also passed her child at home, in her own bed and on lifting up the covers saw what she described as being like a scene from a horror movie.”

Yet, a few weeks later she was arrested for a second time for again engaging in silent prayer outside the abortion clinic. After her second acquittal, Ms Vaughan-Spruce filed a complaint against the police force and received a formal apology and a £13,000 payout.

“Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads – yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the West Midlands Police, who explicitly told me that ‘prayer is an offence’,” Ms Vaughan-Spruce had said upon the news.

However, according to the Daily Mail, despite her acquittals and formal apology, Ms Vaughan-Spruce is now being investigated for a third time for again praying silently outside an abortion clinic. This comes after a new law was put in place last year that bans people from anything that could influence a woman’s decision on abortion, including intentionally or recklessly preventing a pregnant woman or worker from entering the clinic, and from harassment, harm or causing distress.  

Vaughan-Spruce had filed a complaint for two wrongful arrests and imprisonment, but it was rebuked as she was under a live investigation.

“We are currently investigating allegations that a 48-year-old woman has interfered with access to or provision of abortion services between January and July this year, and are liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries continue,” said a spokesperson for the West Midland Police, who expect an update next week.  

“Despite being fully vindicated multiple times after being wrongfully arrested for my thoughts, it's unbelievable that two and a half years later, I am still being harassed by police for silently praying in that area, and yet again find myself under investigation for the same prayers I have said for twenty years,” said Ms Vaughan-Spruce. “Silent prayer cannot possibly be a crime – everyone has the right to freedom of thought.”

Ms Vaughan-Spruce is being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who represented her in the past, and who have actively campaigned against buffer zones. They believe that Ms Vaughan-Spruce’s beliefs are being censored by the police.

This week, Ms Vaughan-Spruce shared on her social media page that according to a poll on The Telegraph, 80% of people disagree that silent prayer should be banned, thus supporting the right to free thought.

Glad that 80% of The Telegraph readers recognise we are allowed to think in our head on a public street. pic.twitter.com/Vdt3ctTWsp
— Isabel Vaughan-Spruce (@IsabelVSpruce) August 11, 2025

“Glad that 80% of The Telegraph readers recognise we are allowed to think in our head on a public street,” she said.

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute commented, saying: “It is outrageous that after two acquittals and a formal apology from the police force, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is still being a target for harassment simply for praying silently in her head. Silent prayer should never be banned and her presence is not causing anyone harm.”

“On the other hand, it is positive to see that people can see the truth behind this harassment aimed at pro-life activists and are in support of freedom of thought. A buffer zone law is already unjust as it bans the peaceful presence of pro-lifers offering help to pregnant women in need, but it should never be considered or treated as a crime to hold a thought in your mind.”