Scottish police crack down on silent prayer, point to ‘Safe Access Zones’ law

February 20, 2025

A pro-life activist was confronted by police while holding a silent vigil outside an abortion clinic for allegedly violating a Scottish law that bans even silent prayers to protect so-called “Safe Access Zones.”

The Christian Post reports that pro-life activist Rose Docherty was confronted by law enforcement officials as she stood silently outside an abortion clinic in Scotland holding a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”

When police officers told Docherty that “standing there saying nothing” amounts to a “silent vigil,” she responded, “I’m just pointing out that coercion is against the law and that if anyone wants to come and speak to me, they can. I’m not doing anything else.”

One of the officers advised Docherty to move away from the area and told her that she would be “committing an offense” if she stayed.

Docherty again explained that she was simply there to speak to anyone who wished to speak to her, adding, “That’s what I’m doing standing here, saying that coercion is a crime, and if anyone wants to speak to me, they can. So, is that an offense?”

According to the Christian Post, the confrontation with Scottish police comes just days after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance spoke out against the prosecution of peaceful abortion protestors during remarks at the Munich Security Conference last week.

Vance had mentioned other pro-life activists in the United Kingdom who were targeted by law enforcement for silently praying outside abortion clinics and the Vice President had asserted that “nobody should be criminalized for their prayers, their mere thoughts.”

Vance faced criticism from U.K. media outlets who called his remarks in Germany “dangerous” and accused the VP of making “incorrect claims” about Scottish laws.

Photo: top, Credit: Screengrab/X/Lois McLatchie Miller