The public face of this debate has been Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, the veteran leader of March for Life UK. Charges following a late 2022 arrest for silent prayer were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service — with a warning that “additional evidence” could surface in the future.
Vaughan-Spruce was then arrested again, standing silently near the same abortion facility in Birmingham.
In a video that went viral, she told an officer: “I am not protesting, I’m not engaging in any of the activities prohibited …” The officer responded: “No, but you said you were engaging in prayer, which is the offense.”
She answered: “Silent prayer,” to which the officer replied, “But you were still engaging in prayer. It is an offense.”
“I disagree,” said Vaughan-Spruce.
March for Life UK volunteers, standing outside the protected zone, often hold “Pregnant — Need Help?” signs, with a telephone number, said Vaughan-Spruce, reached by email. Vigils are held outside St. Joseph and St. Helen’s Catholic Church, which is close to the BPAS Birmingham South abortion clinic.
When standing “inside the PSPO/buffer zone I have only engaged in silent prayer and not spoken to anyone, offered a leaflet or held a poster,” she added. The prayers she recites “in my head” are for specific post-abortion women she has counseled and “as a Catholic I also pray the rosary.” She said she is careful to keep her rosary beads in her pocket — out of sight and, thus, not a form of intimidation.
“Every volunteer,” she explained, “signs a statement of peace before joining in the vigil in which they agree to behave peacefully, obey the law, not to use words like murder or murderer, not to block the pavement, etc. I would not label the work we do … as a protest, as I think that generates a completely different image of people waving posters and shouting down megaphones.”
