A Christian woman has pleaded not guilty to allegedly breaching the UK's new “buffer zone” abortion law.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, 48, from Malvern, Worcestershire, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after being charged in December 2025 under the Public Order Act 2023.
The legislation bans harassment or intimidation within 150 metres of abortion facilities.
Premier Christian News has previously reported that Vaughan-Spruce has been accused of silently praying on a public street within a Kings Norton abortion facility “buffer zone".
Speaking in court, she said: “I’ve simply stood inside an abortion ‘buffer zone,’ on a public street, and silently prayed, meaning my thoughts were turned towards God. I’ve not held any posters, offered any leaflets, spoken with anyone, or spoken out loud at all. Yet I’m being treated like a criminal. This is viewpoint discrimination. Standing is not a crime, silence is not a crime, thinking is not a crime.”
Her legal team at ADF International argued the charges violate her right to freedom of thought and religion.
Jeremiah Igunnubole said: “The fact that someone can be criminally prosecuted merely for their thoughts and beliefs should serve as a wake-up call.”
“We will continue to robustly challenge this unjust censorship, and support Isabel’s right to think and believe freely as is the right of every person in the UK,” he added.
Vaughan-Spruce is set to face trial between 6th and 9th October 2026.