A 77-year-old Northern Ireland pastor is on trial for preaching John 3:16 near a hospital that provides abortion services.
Clive Johnston was charged under British buffer zone legislation for preaching an open-air sermon on John 3:16 near a hospital that provides abortion services.
Johnston, a pastor from Strabane who once served as president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, is on trial at Coleraine magistrates’ court on two charges under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.
The case has drawn monitoring from the US government.
The sermon took place on July 7, 2024, on a patch of grass separated from Coleraine’s Causeway Hospital by a dual carriageway. About a dozen people attended the open air service, which included hymn singing and a wooden cross.
Johnston preached John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Court papers do not allege he mentioned abortion.
A second day of hearings is set for Wednesday. If convicted, the grandfather of seven faces a criminal record and a fine of up to £2,500 (about $3,300). He has never been in trouble with the police, according to The Christian Institute, which is supporting him in the case.
Court papers do not allege that Johnston mentioned abortion during the sermon and no abortion placards or banners were present. Yet, he is accused of seeking to influence people accessing the hospital’s abortion services and of failing to leave the area when asked by police. He is not accused of impeding or harassing anyone.
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act was introduced in 2022 by the Green Party and created eight buffer zones of 100 to 150 meters around hospitals and abortion clinics in Northern Ireland. Under the law, it is a criminal offense for people within the marked areas to be “impeded, recorded, influenced or to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.”
A State Department spokesman told the Telegraph that the US was “still monitoring many buffer zone cases in the UK, as well as other acts of censorship throughout Europe.”
“The UK’s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the shared values that ought to underpin US-UK relations,” the spokesman said.
The Christian Institute, supporting Johnston, said preaching the good news about Christ is not protesting abortion. A second hearing is set for Wednesday.
Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, said the case raised fundamental questions about religious liberty.
“Prosecuting Pastor Johnston for preaching ‘God so loved the world’ near a hospital on a quiet Sunday is a shocking new attempt to restrict freedom of religion and freedom of speech in a part of the world where open-air gospel services are a part of the culture,” Calvert said.
“Christians are pro-life. But preaching the good news about Christ is not the same thing as protesting against abortion. The police and the Public Prosecution Service are overstepping the mark,” he added.
Buffer zone laws in Northern Ireland took effect in September 2024, bringing the region into line with similar legislation in England, Wales and Scotland. Prosecutions under these laws have drawn severe criticism from religious liberty groups and free speech advocates on both sides of the Atlantic, with several cases involving silent prayer or religious observance rather than active protest.
(Picture Courtesy: The Christian Institute)
