In a case straight out of George Orwell’s 1984, a British father has been convicted simply for bowing his head in silent prayer near an abortion facility. Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old military veteran, ran afoul of the U.K. government in November 2022 when he took a moment to quietly pray outside the British Pregnancy Advisory Service in Bournemouth, England.
According to reports, police officers approached Smith-Connor and asked him an unbelievable question: “What is the nature of your prayer?” This intrusive interrogation came after he was caught praying for his son, who had been aborted 22 years earlier—a heartbreaking personal moment turned into a criminal act by overreaching authorities. At the time of his prayer, a so-called “safe zone” had been established around the facility, where any pro-life or pro-choice activity is banned. Silent prayer, it seems, now falls under that prohibition.
Smith-Connor explained to the court that his silent conversation with God was for his unborn son. But none of that mattered to District Judge Orla Austin, who ruled his actions “deliberate” and slapped him with a fine of nearly $12,000 along with a two-year conditional discharge.
Let that sink in—this man, grieving for his child, was convicted as a criminal for a prayer that took place within his own mind. Smith-Connor, experts, and political figures alike were stunned by the ruling. “Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts—silent thoughts—can be illegal in the United Kingdom,” he said. “That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind, and yet I stand convicted?”
Even some members of the British government were appalled. Miriam Cates, a former Conservative Party MP, didn’t hold back in her criticism of the ruling. “This isn’t 1984, but 2024—nobody should be on trial for the mere thoughts they hold in their mind,” she said, calling the decision an outrageous use of taxpayer money to prosecute what amounts to a thought crime.
ADF UK’s legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole echoed the sentiment, calling the case a “turning point of immense proportions.” He warned that the country’s descent into this level of suppression marks a tragic low in the abuse of basic human rights.
As Americans, we must pay close attention. The United States has long been a beacon of hope for people persecuted for their faith, including many who fled the British Isles for the freedom to worship. While silent prayer hasn’t been criminalized here—yet—the progressive push to enshrine abortion as an untouchable right might just put that to the test in the future.