40 Days for Life is an international organisation dedicated to saving lives that might otherwise be ended through abortion. Since January 2020, 40 Days for Life Birmingham has been helped over 100 women outside an abortion clinic, with a small group of volunteers regularly praying and offering help and information on alternatives to abortion.
However, a newly introduced ‘buffer zone’ has now criminalised the group’s ministry by prohibiting prayer and any discussion of abortion within the area, with supporters of the policy claiming that it’s to stop ‘offence’, ‘intimidation’ and ‘harassment’ from members of the group. Yet in reality, it’s often members of the group facing harassment.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who leads 40 Days for Life Birmingham, is seeking a statutory review of the council’s ‘buffer zone’ measures with the help of the Christian Legal Centre. She spoke to Premier Christian Radio about why she’s seeking this legal challenge.
“I want them to have another look at the consultation because what really happened was an absolute sham … we want them to consider the women that are going to be affected by this,” she commented. “From a legal perspective, we need some sort of definition of what is ‘offence’, what is ‘intimidation’… There are repercussions for the whole of society if we start making words mean what we want them to mean and anyone who claims to be offended or intimidated- that’s just accepted at face value, regardless of looking at any evidence.”
7 November 2022
Premier Christian Radio