The US has accused Britain of "undermining free speech and religious liberty" after a charity worker was charged under abortion clinic "buffer zone" legislation.
Catholic pro-life campaigner Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested earlier this year after she was allegedly seen praying silently outside an abortion facility in Birmingham.
A national "buffer zones" law was enacted in October 2024, banning any form of "influence" within 150 metres of abortion clinics across England and Wales.
Prosecutors informed Ms Vaughan-Spruce earlier this month she would face charges after months of deliberation.
The charge alleges she stood within a restricted area on four separate occasions between June and November, intending to influence decisions about abortion services.
US officials have condemned the decision and publicly backed Ms Vaughan-Spruce and "all those who risk persecution for defending life, faith, and freedom".
The US government office of the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, wrote to X: "The United Kingdom has just charged charity worker Isabel Vaughan-Spruce under their 'buffer zone' law for standing on a sidewalk and silently praying.
"Make no mistake – this undermines free speech and religious liberty.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is due to appear at court in January
|ADF INTERNATIONAL
"The United States supports Isabel and all those who risk persecution for defending life, faith, and freedom."
US Vice President JD Vance previously showed support for Ms Vaughan-Spruce's campaign, labelling British buffer zones an assault on the "basic liberties of religious Britons".
Police first detained the 48-year-old in December 2022 for silent prayer within a local authority buffer zone surrounding the abortion facility in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham.
She was arrested again weeks later, with police allegedly telling her silent prayer within the zone constituted an offence.
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JD Vance previously showed support for Ms Vaughan-Spruce's campaign
| GETTYA six-month investigation followed before charges were abandoned.
West Midlands Police subsequently apologised and paid her £13,000 in compensation.
The 48-year-old has defended her conduct, explaining that during prayer she turns her focus inwardly "towards God".
"I'm literally just standing there. I'm not staring at people as they go in. I'm not trying to have a conversation with anybody, I'm just simply silent and in my head," she said.
Ms Vaughan-Spruce was charged under 'buffer zone' legislation which was enacted in October 2024
| ADF INTERNATIONALJeremiah Igunnubole, a lawyer with ADF International, which represents her, condemned the legislation.
"'Buffer zones' are among the most concerning frontiers of censorship in the modern West," Mr Igunnubole said.
"We all stand against harassment and abuse, but the 'buffer zone' law broadly bans 'influence', which is being interpreted by police officers to target innocent people who happen to stand in a certain place and believe a certain thing."
Ms Vaughan-Spruce will appear before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on January 29 - where a guilty verdict could see her handed an unlimited fine.
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