Pro-life activist in England fined for Bible verse outside abortion clinic
Stephen Green. Photo: Christian Legal Centre
Christian activist Stephen Green has applied to the UK High Court, demanding a review of his criminal case. As the website Christian Today reports, a court found Green guilty of breaching public order outside a clinic in London’s Ealing district for holding a placard with a Bible quotation.
Green stood with the words of Psalm 139:13: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” Witnesses said the man also read the Bible aloud.
A magistrates’ court treated this as an “act of protest of abortion," prohibited under a special local authority order establishing a “buffer zone.” Green was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £26 and a costs order of £2,400, however he indicated that he would not be paying as a matter of principle.
In his appeal, Green stressed that these zones effectively create “censored areas” where prayer, reading Scripture, and peaceful expressions of believers become criminally punishable.
Ahead of the High Court hearing, the man stated: “As a Christian I should be able to preach freely all over the land. Psalm 139 is about how we all belong to God from conception. Buffer zones and this conviction is a direct attack on the Bible and free speech, which is being licenced by the state. I have no choice but to continue to defend myself and fight for justice.”
"If it is now a criminal offence to hold a sign with a verse from Psalm 139 on it in a London street, then none of us is free,” he added.
Stephen Green will be supported by the Christian legal organization the Christian Legal Centre as he seeks justice in this case.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that more than 10,000 Christians took part in a march against abortion in London.
Read also
Pope Leo: Christ does not hear the prayers of those who wage war
The pontiff stressed that the Lord does not hear the prayers of those whose hands are filled with blood and called for weapons to be laid down.
Israeli authorities bar RCC bishop from entering Church of Holy Sepulchre
Catholic hierarchs were blocked by Israeli police on Palm Sunday, preventing them from celebrating the liturgy for the first time in centuries.
After Filaret’s death, UOC-KP "ordains" new "bishop"
The new “patriarch” of the UOC-KP has “ordained” a new “bishop” and carried out the nomination of another.
DESS reports number of UOC “transfers” to OCU since start of war
The pace of UOC community “transfers” to the OCU dropped sharply in 2025: in eight regions, not a single case was recorded, while in leading regions the numbers fell severalfold.
Patriarch of Antioch calls to stop violence against Syrian Christians
The Orthodox Church of Antioch has published a statement amid protests in Damascus and an incident involving an attack on Christians in Hama province.
In Sophia, Uniates and Catholics hold "ecumenical Way of the Cross"
Representatives of the UGCC and the RCC participated in the event on the territory of Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv.