politics
Northern Ireland Police Say Abortion Buffer Zone Law Applies to Religious Acts Without Clergy Exemptions
The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued guidance on July 2 stating that activities such as carrying a Bible or praying could violate the 2023 safe access zones law if they occur within 100 meters of abortion facilities. The clarification followed the May conviction of a retired pastor.
Jul 19, 9:00 AM·1m read1 source
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The Police Service of Northern Ireland on July 2 stated that carrying a Bible, reading Scripture, or praying inside protected zones around abortion facilities could constitute an offense under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023.
Fox News reported the written response to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The 2023 law bars influencing, impeding access, or causing harassment, alarm, or distress to a protected person within 100 meters of facilities where abortions are performed.
The police service said the measure contains no exemptions for clergy or religious identity. Visible or passive religious practice may qualify as an offense even without direct communication, it added. A person's stated intention does not shield them from liability, the response said.
The test instead examines whether the behavior, viewed objectively and in context, influenced or distressed a protected person or showed recklessness about that outcome. The guidance does not create new offenses, a PSNI spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Retired pastor Clive Johnston, 78, was convicted and fined about $614 in May for preaching a sermon on John 3:16 near a hospital where abortions are performed.
Pastor Jonathan Campbell of Newbuildings Independent Methodist Church in Londonderry said the ruling and guidance leave Christians uncertain about ministry on hospital grounds. Ciarán Kelly, director of The Christian Institute, said a chaplain praying with grieving parents and reading Psalm 23 could fall foul of the law.
