by Mike Bain/cvnznews.com
New Zealand already has its own version of “buffer zones” around abortion facilities — polite little circles on a map where the state decides what kind of speech is acceptable. No one here has yet been prosecuted for praying, but the logic is already baked in. And as Wellington continues to toy with Hate Speech legislation — trying to criminalise “harmful” words without admitting it’s restricting freedom of expression — it’s not hard to see where this road leads. If you want a preview, look to the U.K.
Last week, a Northern Ireland judge found 78‑year‑old retired pastor Clive Johnston guilty of breaching a “safe access zone” simply for holding an open‑air worship service near a hospital that performs abortions. No placards. No protests. Just a ukulele, a Bible, and John 3:16. Apparently that was enough to trigger the machinery of the modern state.
Johnston preached on a public footpath outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine in 2024. Police approached mid‑sermon, informing him he was inside a restricted zone — one of eight areas in Northern Ireland where anyone who might “influence” a woman entering an abortion facility can be prosecuted. Johnston calmly replied, “This is not a rally. This is simply proclaiming a message that will change people’s lives.” That didn’t matter. He refused to leave, and the officers took his details. Months later, he was charged.
On Thursday, District Judge Peter King ruled that Johnston’s mere presence and past pro‑life associations proved he intended to “influence” women. He was fined the equivalent of $610. His crime? Preaching the gospel inside an imaginary line.
Legal experts warn the ruling confirms what many feared: the zones are now being used to criminalise religious expression entirely unrelated to abortion. Other U.K. cases have already punished silent prayer, quiet conversations, and even standing still with a sign offering to talk.
“This creeping censorship should concern anyone who values free speech,” said Ciarán Kelly of the Christian Institute. And he’s right. When peaceful worship becomes prosecutable, the issue is no longer abortion — it’s whether Western democracies still believe in freedom at all.
