In a moment reminiscent of George Orwell’s, 1984, yesterday marked a watershed moment for free thought in the United Kingdom. British Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor made history as the first person convicted for thinking the wrong thing in the wrong place.
This ruling comes almost two years after Smith-Connor was approached by Bournemouth police under suspicion of violating a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in November 2022. Although he had not spoken to anyone and stood behind a tree facing away from an abortion facility as he prayed, Smith-Connor was charged under section 4a of the PSPO for “engaging in an act of approval/disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services.” These acts include any type of protest through “graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counseling.”
In the video recorded by Smith-Connor during the confrontation, he informed the police that he was “praying for his deceased son.” Smith-Connor elaborated on his reasons for praying by sharing the following with ADF UK:
“22 years ago I drove my ex-girlfriend to a facility and paid for her to have an abortion. It was a pivotal moment in my life. The consequences of my actions that day came back to grieve me years later, when I realized I had lost my son Jacob to an abortion I had paid for.”
He continued, “I would never have imagined being in a position to risk a criminal record for praying silently. In the past, I assisted with abortions in hospital as part of my army medical training, but now I pray for those who perform abortions because I realize how harmful abortion is to women and families, and that every single human life is valuable—no matter how small. Most of all, I’m moved to pray because of what happened to my son, Jacob.”
In addition to ordering the father of two to pay prosecution costs of £9,000 ($11,700 USD), the court issued Smith-Connor a two-year conditional discharge. This means that if he is convicted of any further offenses within that period, he will face sentencing.
In response to yesterday’s ruling, Smith-Connor said, “I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon. I continue that spirit of service as a healthcare professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thought-crimes are now being prosecuted in the U.K.”
After the ruling, Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, called the result a “legal turning point of immense proportions.” He continued: “A man has been convicted today because of the content of his thoughts—his prayers to God—on the public streets of England. “We can hardly sink any lower in our neglect of basic fundamental freedoms of free speech and thought.”
Igunnubole said in September that the legislation governing the buffer zones is vague and broadly drafted, leaving the British public vulnerable to the discretion of law enforcement, who can interpret both the law and citizens’ actions as they see fit. Currently, five U.K. councils enforce buffer zones near abortion clinics, with more being implemented across the country as the newly elected Labour government continues to censor and criminalize its citizens for what it deems “anti-social behavior.”
In an interview with Decision magazine, Dr. Frank Turek, President of CrossExamined.org, commented: “The left is so committed to abortion that they cannot tolerate the thought of someone disagreeing with them, even silently. This aligns with the warning found in Romans 1, where Paul warns that yielding to sexual immorality can lead to futile thinking and God giving people over to depraved minds. This degradation progresses to the point where not only are individuals engaging in evil, but they also encourage and applaud others in doing the same.”
