British Catholic hospices and care homes for the elderly face potential closure after the controversial Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was approved at Third Reading in the House of Commons on 20 June, passing by a narrow majority of just 23 votes. This bill, if enacted, would compel Catholic palliative care institutions that refuse to participate in assisted suicide on the basis of Christian teachings to either comply or face closure, raising deep concerns over the protection of institutional conscientious objection.
Christian charity volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has again been targeted by police for standing silently in a buffer zone. This time, police officers told her that her 'mere presence' was causing 'harassment' and therefore prohibited behaviour in the area. Buffer zone laws in the UK continue to allow serious attacks on basic human rights.
In October 2024, actor and activist Rafał Betlejewski launched a petition to ban children and teenagers under 18 from receiving the sacrament of confession. After gathering just over 13,000 signatures, the proposal is now being debated in the lower house of the Polish parliament.
Rubén García de Andrés, mayor of Torrecaballeros, was denied communion by a local priest because of his homosexuality, which he denounced as homophobic. His political party is demanding an apology and threatening legal action. The Diocese of Segovia defended the priest, citing Canon 915, which allows for the denial of communion on moral grounds, and denied any accusations of homophobia. The case raised concerns about the involvement of secular groups in church affairs, which is seen as a potential threat to religious freedom.
Adam Smith-Connor has been found guilty of praying silently in an abortion 'buffer zone'. The controversial decision confirms serious restrictions on freedom of religion and even thought UK 'buffer zone' legislation.
David Campanale, who was deselected as a candidate because of his Christian worldview, is now suing the party for discriminating against him because of his protected religious beliefs. In their defence, the LibDems have reinforced the claim that some Christian beliefs are incompatible with the party's current values.
A Christian charity volunteer has received a £13,000 payout and an apology from police after claiming her arrest for silently praying outside an abortion clinic was unjust and violated her human rights. While many see this as a victory for religious freedom, the new UK government is planning to introduce national legislation banning prayer outside abortion clinics.
On June 11, the Government of Catalonia approved the creation of a register of health professionals who object to performing or assisting in abortions for reasons of conscience. According to the official statement, the register will be administrative and electronic, and not public. However, the management of health centres which provide abortion services will be able to access these records. Such a register is feared to lead to situations of discrimination on religious grounds in employment and indirectly violate the right to freedom of conscience of health personnel.
The Scottish draft legislation on abortion "buffer zones", which was passed at first stage on April 30, has sparked a debate on the criminalisation of silent prayer in these zones. This bill proposes the creation of a zone extending to 200 meters around abortion clinics in which "influencing" someone in regard to abortion would be illegal. In a parliament debate MSP Jeremy Balfour asked if he would be criminalised for praying at a bus stop inside the zone. He tabled an amendment seeking to exclude silent prayer from the criminal actions within the zone. MSP Gillian Mackay who introduced the Bill responded to Mr Balfour by saying: "If nobody knows someone is praying, and nothing in their conduct is capable of having the effects on women or staff that this Bill seeks to prevent, then it is unlikely that any offence could be committed. If someone stands silently praying for a long time, deliberately looking at women accessing an abortion clinic, or for example with a sign, then they may be committing an offence."
Sebastian Vaughan-Spruce was fined on May 16th in Birmingham while standing in a buffer zone near an abortion clinic. Among other things, the police asked him "Are you here to pray for the lives of unborn children?", in order to establish whether he was committing a crime. Sebastian replied that he was not praying silently in his head and further clarified: "I did not approach anyone, I did not speak to anyone, I did not breach anyone's privacy. I simply stood silently." He carried no sign either. The police could not tell him which crime he was committing, but nevertheless asked him to move away and leave the zone. When he inquired why, he was fined for not moving.