{"id":63914,"date":"2024-10-29T11:19:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T10:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=63914"},"modified":"2024-10-31T09:22:31","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T08:22:31","slug":"influencing-to-be-criminalised-near-abortion-facilities-from-thursday-as-government-set-to-roll-out-buffer-zones-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law","title":{"rendered":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"63914\" class=\"elementor elementor-63914\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-41325c4e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"41325c4e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7f759c55\" data-id=\"7f759c55\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf20b9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cf20b9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Move comes weeks after first UK man&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/guilty-army-vet-convicted-for-praying-silently-near-abortion-facility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">convicted for silent prayer<\/a>&nbsp;\u201cthoughtcrime\u201d in shock Bournemouth &#8220;buffer zone&#8221; ruling<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Almost 60,000 people sign&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/open-letter-to-starmer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">open letter&nbsp;<\/a>asking Keir Starmer to protect freedom of thought<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-weight ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ADF UK, supporting the legal defence of four individuals prosecuted for praying or offering help in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d, raise concerns about freedom of speech and thought<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-weight ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48d4034b elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"48d4034b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1-1024x597.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-60161\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1-1024x597.webp 1024w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1-300x175.webp 300w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1-768x448.webp 768w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1-1536x896.webp 1536w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1-2048x1195.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-457d1faa elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"457d1faa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>LONDON (29 October 2024<\/strong>) &#8211; UK authorities will enforce\u00a0\u201cbuffer zones\u201d around every abortion facility in England &amp; Wales from Thursday 31st\u00a0October. \u00a0<\/p><p>Under the national law, \u201cinfluencing\u201d someone\u2019s decision to \u201caccess\u201d abortion services will become a crime within 150m of any abortion facility.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7576abf elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"7576abf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #AF272F\">\"The law is written so vaguely that peaceful, consensual conversations, or even silent thoughts,<\/span> could be made illegal on certain streets of England.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">- Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-384deea0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"384deea0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The vague wording of the law has drawn criticism from free speech advocates who fear it will be used to crack down on innocent, consensual conversation between adults \u2013 or even silent prayers.\u00a0<\/p><p>Almost 60,000 people have signed a letter of concern to Keir Starmer, highlighting worrying prosecutions on account of silent prayers in local \u201cbuffer zones\u201d, and asking that the government act to protect freedom of thought.\u00a0<\/p><p>In anticipation of the new law, Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, said:\u00a0<\/p><p><em>\u201cWe all stand against harassment and intimidation. But the Public Order Act goes much further by banning \u201cinfluencing\u201d. Could this apply to the advice given by a parent? A concerned word from a friend? Information made available through a crisis pregnancy volunteer? The law is written so vaguely that peaceful, consensual conversations or even silent thoughts could be made illegal on certain streets of England. We have already seen the prosecution of individuals like Adam Smith-Connor, who only stopped to pray in his mind for a few minutes, under these censorial and far-reaching \u201cbuffer zone\u201d rules.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><p><em>\u201cThe right to hold a consensual conversation, or engage in silent prayer, constitute the most basic of human rights. They are protected robustly by international legal provisions relating to freedom of thought and speech. The entire premise of censorial buffer zone legislation is that women should be able to choose to access abortion without hindrance. The legal elephant in the room should be obvious to see. If the law states that a woman can choose to abort their unborn child without hindrance, even the \u201chindrance\u201d of lawful alternatives to abortion, how can the law criminalise women when they choose to engage in lawful, harmless and consensual conversations? \u00a0<\/em><\/p><p><em>\u201cThis is a watershed moment for British freedoms, and one the public must not take lightly. A failure to protect thought and peaceful speech anywhere creates a threat to these rights everywhere. Buffer zones or otherwise, we should uncompromisingly safeguard the rights on which our democracy\u00a0is\u00a0based.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18372b9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"18372b9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Policing Thought<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-5c25e2af elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5c25e2af\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-11e9c9b7\" data-id=\"11e9c9b7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37645da6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"37645da6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLast year, charitable volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested twice for the silent prayers she held in her mind.\u00a0\n\nAfter being found innocent at trial, Vaughan-Spruce later received a police payout on account of her wrongful arrests. \u00a0\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-45879d0\" data-id=\"45879d0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d4cfcd4 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"5d4cfcd4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=k6E105a58p8&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-container brlbs-cmpnt-content-blocker brlbs-cmpnt-with-individual-styles\" data-borlabs-cookie-content-blocker-id=\"youtube-content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-content=\"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\"><div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-preset-c brlbs-cmpnt-cb-youtube\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-thumbnail\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/borlabs-cookie\/1\/yt_k6E105a58p8_hqdefault.jpg')\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-main\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-play-button\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-content\"> <p class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-description\">You are currently viewing a placeholder content from <strong>YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-provider-toggle\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-show-provider-information role=\"button\">More Information<\/a> <\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-buttons\"> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Unblock content<\/a> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-accept-service role=\"button\" style=\"display: inherit\">Accept required service and unblock content<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3f513d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f3f513d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Reflecting on the new laws being enforced on October 31st, Vaughan-Spruce said:\u00a0<\/p><p><em>&#8220;Having been arrested, tried, and dragged through the legal system for months on account of my silent prayer &#8211; only to be found innocent and receive a payout for my unlawful arrest &#8211; it&#8217;s deeply concerning to see vaguely-worded legislation come in which could punish people like me who are just there to help, to talk peacefully, or to pray. The government should urgently clarify that consensual conversations between adults &#8211; and silent thoughts and prayers &#8211; are protected in domestic and international law. This isn&#8217;t 1984 &#8211; we mustn&#8217;t police thought on the streets of Britain.&#8221;\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28ddaec3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"28ddaec3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Criminalising Help<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7863322 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7863322\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Women who have benefited from the presence of pro-life volunteers standing near abortion facilities have formed a campaign group,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/behereforme.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Be Here For Me&#8221;<\/a>, asking for crisis pregnancy support groups to be protected from criminalisation in &#8220;buffer zones&#8221;.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-224004f elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"224004f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #AF272F\">\"Removing the option to receive help to keep a child in case we feel offended <\/span>is deeply patronising.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">- Alina Dulgheriu, who benefited from the help of pro-life volunteers near an abortion facility<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67e1e67b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"67e1e67b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Alina Dulgheriu, who received help to continue her pregnancy after recieving a leaflet from a pro-life volunteer on the public street near an abortion facility, said:<\/p><p><em>\u201cIt is worrying that we will consider denying vulnerable woman access to potential life-changing information \u2013 especially when facing one of the most challenging decision of their lives that could have lasting ramification on their mental and physical health.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p><p><em>&#8220;Removing the option to receive help to keep a child in case we feel offended is deeply patronising and assumes that women can\u2019t make a decision for ourselves or that we might choose the wrong option.<\/em><\/p><p><em>My case is not a one-off. There are many hundreds of women just like me who have benefitted from this support. Yet we are all too often ignored.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-136bf02 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"136bf02\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Convicted for a Prayer<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e5970f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6e5970f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The rollout of the new law, which was passed under the Conservative Government\u2019s watch as part of the Public Order Act 2023, comes just weeks after the first man was convicted for a \u201cthoughtcrime\u201d inside a local buffer zone in modern British history.\u00a0<\/p><p>Bournemouth, Christchurch &amp; Poole Council charged Adam Smith-Connor, a military veteran and father of two, following an interrogation by officers on \u201cthe nature of his prayers\u201d when he stopped to pray for a few minutes near an abortion facility in November 2022.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p><p>The Court sentenced Smith-Connor to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of \u00a39,000. \u00a0<\/p><p>Despite battling bankruptcy warnings and being forced to cut \u201call non-essential spending\u201d, Bournemouth, Christchurch &amp; Poole Council spent more than \u00a3100,000 on legal fees to prosecute the offence, which carries a maximum penalty of \u00a31,000.\u00a0<\/p><p>Responding to the ruling, Smith-Connor stated:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cToday, the court has decided that certain thoughts \u2013 silent thoughts \u2013 can be illegal in the United Kingdom. That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind \u2013 and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p><em>\u201cI 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 health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the UK.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb9d671 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"eb9d671\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-35583f99 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"35583f99\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Images for free use in print or online in relation to this story only<\/p><p>Pictured: Jeremiah Igunnubole; Isabel Vaughan-Spruce; Adam Smith-Connor; Alina Dulgheriu with her daughter<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2055673d elementor-widget elementor-widget-gallery\" data-id=\"2055673d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;aspect_ratio&quot;:&quot;1:1&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;gallery_layout&quot;:&quot;grid&quot;,&quot;columns&quot;:4,&quot;columns_tablet&quot;:2,&quot;columns_mobile&quot;:1,&quot;gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;link_to&quot;:&quot;file&quot;,&quot;overlay_background&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;content_hover_animation&quot;:&quot;fade-in&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery__container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeremiah_Igunnubole_400x400px.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"2055673d\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Jeremiah_Igunnubole_400x400px\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDM2ODgsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyMVwvMDVcL0plcmVtaWFoX0lndW5udWJvbGVfNDAweDQwMHB4LndlYnAiLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiIyMDU1NjczZCJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeremiah_Igunnubole_400x400px.webp\" data-width=\"400\" data-height=\"400\" aria-label=\"Jeremiah Igunnubole of ADF UK\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Isabel-praying-1.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"2055673d\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Isabel Praying\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDM3NzcsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDNcL0lzYWJlbC1wcmF5aW5nLTEuanBnIiwic2xpZGVzaG93IjoiMjA1NTY3M2QifQ%3D%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Isabel-praying-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"683\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"2055673d\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Adam Scaled 1.jpg\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6MzgzMTAsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDFcL2FkYW0tc2NhbGVkLTEuanBnIiwic2xpZGVzaG93IjoiMjA1NTY3M2QifQ%3D%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"683\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Alina-with-daughter-2.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"2055673d\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Alina With Daughter\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDM3ODksInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDNcL0FsaW5hLXdpdGgtZGF1Z2h0ZXItMi5qcGciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiIyMDU1NjczZCJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Alina-with-daughter-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"683\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Move comes weeks after first UK man&nbsp;convicted for silent prayer&nbsp;\u201cthoughtcrime\u201d in shock Bournemouth &#8220;buffer zone&#8221; ruling Almost 60,000 people sign&nbsp;open letter&nbsp;asking Keir Starmer to protect freedom of thought&nbsp; ADF UK, supporting the legal defence of four individuals prosecuted for praying or offering help in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d, raise concerns about freedom of speech and thought&nbsp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":60161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[736],"tags":[942,1069,908,944,741,898],"class_list":["post-63914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-adam","tag-buffer-zones-2","tag-freedom-of-speech-en-gb","tag-isabel-en-gb","tag-right-to-life-en-gb","tag-uk-en-gb"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0 - ADF International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0 \u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Move comes weeks after first UK man convicted for silent prayer \u201cthoughtcrime\u201d in shock Bournemouth ruling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ADF International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-29T10:19:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-31T08:22:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2057\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\"},\"headline\":\"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-29T10:19:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-31T08:22:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law\"},\"wordCount\":1118,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Adam\",\"buffer zones\",\"freedom of speech\",\"Isabel\",\"Right to life\",\"UK\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law\",\"name\":\"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0 - ADF International\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-29T10:19:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-31T08:22:31+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp\",\"width\":2057,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"Isabel Vaughan-Spruce\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/buffer-zones-national-law#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/\",\"name\":\"ADF International\",\"description\":\"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"width\":175,\"height\":106,\"caption\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/adfintl\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/adfinternational\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\",\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Philipp Bues\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/author\\\/pbuesadfinternational-org\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0 - ADF International","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0 \u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide","og_description":"Move comes weeks after first UK man convicted for silent prayer \u201cthoughtcrime\u201d in shock Bournemouth ruling","og_url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law","og_site_name":"ADF International","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","article_published_time":"2024-10-29T10:19:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-31T08:22:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2057,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Philipp Bues","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0","twitter_creator":"@adfintl","twitter_site":"@adfintl","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Philipp Bues","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law"},"author":{"name":"Philipp Bues","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141"},"headline":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0","datePublished":"2024-10-29T10:19:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-31T08:22:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law"},"wordCount":1118,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp","keywords":["Adam","buffer zones","freedom of speech","Isabel","Right to life","UK"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law","name":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0 - ADF International","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp","datePublished":"2024-10-29T10:19:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-31T08:22:31+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Isabel-Vaughan-Spruce-arrest-1.webp","width":2057,"height":1200,"caption":"Isabel Vaughan-Spruce"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/buffer-zones-national-law#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cInfluencing\u201d to be criminalised near abortion facilities from THURSDAY as government set to roll out \u201cbuffer zones\u201d nationwide\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","name":"ADF International","description":"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization","name":"Alliance Defending Freedom International","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","width":175,"height":106,"caption":"Alliance Defending Freedom International"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","https:\/\/x.com\/adfintl","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adfinternational","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/adfinternational\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141","name":"Philipp Bues","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","caption":"Philipp Bues"},"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/author\/pbuesadfinternational-org"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}