The Scottish government seems intent on making an example of Rose Docherty for having the audacity to stand near a hospital and hold up a sign offering a friendly “listening ear” to anyone who wants to talk.
[UPDATE] A 75-year-old grandmother has been arrested for a second time and criminally charged under Scotland’s “buffer zone” law after holding a sign outside Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
Rose Docherty was taken into custody this week for standing within 200 meters of the hospital with a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”
Scottish law prohibits harassment, intimidation, or attempts to influence anyone seeking abortion services within the 200-meter zones. Docherty said she was acting peacefully and had not approached anyone.
“Everybody has the right to engage in consensual conversation,” she said. “I held my sign with love and compassion, inviting anyone who wants to chat, to do so — and stood peacefully, not approaching anyone. I should not be treated as a criminal for inviting people to chat with me — lending a listening ear. Conversation is not forbidden on the streets of Glasgow. And yet, this is the second time I have been arrested for doing just that.”
The police forced Docherty to climb into the back of a police wagon and then took her in for booking and questioning. She was detained for several hours and said she was not allowed to sit, despite informing officers that she had undergone a double hip replacement.
Authorities charged her with breaching the buffer zone and later released her on bail. As part of her bail conditions, she is barred from entering an area larger than the designated zone around the hospital. Her legal team called the restrictions “disproportionate.”
Lorcan Price, legal counsel with ADF International, which is representing Docherty, criticized the arrest.
“It’s deeply concerning that Scottish policing resources are being ploughed into arresting and prosecuting a peaceful grandmother offering to speak to people in public, rather than focusing on the problems caused by real crime in Glasgow,” Price said. “This is not a case about harassment, intimidation or violent protest — this is simply a grandmother, who held a sign offering to speak to anyone who would like to engage.”
The recent arrest is the second time Docherty has faced charges for offering conversation. She was first arrested in February for holding up the same sign outside the same hospital, an activity that the authorities termed “a silent vigil.” However, the charges against her were later dropped after Scottish leaders were hit with international backlash, including a statement of concern shared online by the U.S. State Department.
Its X post stated, “Police in Scotland arrested a woman holding a sign offering to talk to people in a restricted ‘buffer zone.’ Freedom of expression needs to be protected. We call on governments, whether in Scotland or around the world, to respect freedom of expression for all,”
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance first criticized Scotland’s buffer zone law during a February speech at the Munich Security Conference, pointing to it as an example of the increasing hostility to free expression being embraced by Western allies.
Critics have long argued that the law’s vague wording would lead to excessive enforcement. Earlier this year, Gillian Mackay, the Scottish lawmaker who sponsored the legislation, told BBC Scotland that the prohibitions might even apply to someone praying from a window in his or her own home if the person was visible to passersby.
Docherty’s case is only the latest showing the absurdity of trying to restrict speech and thought using buffer zone legislation.
Scotland’s new law effectively mirrors that of the Public Spaces Protection Order in England and Wales, which has criminally netted a pro-lifer, an Army veteran, and a priest who dared to silently pray while standing on the sidewalk near an abortion clinic. In a case similar to Docherty’s, a preacher was arrested and convicted in 2023 simply for holding a sign that featured the words of Psalm 139:13: “For thou has possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”
ORIGINAL STORY
{Published on February 21, 2025} A 74-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday in Glasgow, Scotland, for allegedly breaching an exclusion zone around an abortion clinic.
This marks the first enforcement of Scotland’s recently enacted Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024, which prohibits anti-abortion protests within 200 meters of medical facilities providing abortion services.
Rose Docherty, a grandmother and retiree, stood in silence on a sidewalk with a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”
A video captured her peaceful presence before her arrest.
The incident occurred near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on Hardgate Road, where police responded to reports of an anti-abortion demonstration. The elderly woman was then arrested for violating the exclusion zone, placed in handcuffs, and taken to a police station. She will now be reported to prosecutors.
One of the police officers who approached her explained, “Examples of what would be classed as breaching the Act, you know, approaching someone, trying to persuade them not to access abortion services, surrounding people as they go in or out of the clinic or the hospital, handing out leaflets, religious preaching, silent vigil. So, standing here saying nothing, you know, it’s a silent vigil.”
Docherty responded, “If anyone wants to come and speak to me, they can, so I’m not doing anything else.”
“Well, you seem to believe you’re not doing anything wrong, but there’s obviously a reason why you’re here and why you’re in this area, and you in particular, I am aware that you have been protesting here against abortion before, so I don’t understand why you’re here in this area again if you’re not protesting the same thing,” the officer said.
Docherty again, “I’m not committing an offense if I don’t move away from the area.”
The officer replied, “I believe you’re committing a silent vigil, so I believe you would be, yes.”
Gilliam Mackay, a Green Party MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament) and a supporter of the abortion buffer zone laws, was reportedly pleased with Docherty’s arrest.
“The protests that have taken place outside Queen Elizabeth have been utterly shameful and I am grateful to Police Scotland for acting so quickly,” said Mackay. “This kind of intimidation has no place in a modern or progressive Scotland. Everybody deserves to have access to health care without harassment.”
In recent years, England has also arrested pro-lifers for praying near abortion clinics in violation of censorship laws. British Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor was convicted in October 2024 for silently praying near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England.
Smith-Connor, who had paid for his ex-girlfriend’s abortion at the same clinic over two decades ago, stood quietly with his back to the facility, head slightly bowed, and hands clasped, engaging in silent prayer. Authorities charged him with violating the local buffer zone law, which prohibits acts of approval or disapproval regarding abortion within designated areas around clinics.
The Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council sentenced him to a conditional discharge, requiring him to pay £9,000 (equivalent to $11,370) in prosecution costs. Smith-Connor, who is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom UK, expressed concern over the criminalization of private thoughts, stating, “All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind—and yet I stand convicted as a criminal.”
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is another pro-lifer who has been arrested multiple times for silently praying within these zones. In October 2023, she was fined for her silent prayer, even after previous charges had been dropped or resulted in acquittal.
“To fine somebody simply for their thoughts is grossly Orwellian and an insult to the freedoms that Britain is meant to protect,” she has stated.
In October 2023, the U.K. increased its enforcement of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), targeting individuals engaging in silent prayer or displaying Bible verses near abortion clinics. These PSPOs establish 150-meter buffer zones around such facilities, prohibiting any form of protest, including silent demonstrations. Despite Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s clarification that “silent prayer, within itself, is not unlawful,” law enforcement actions have persisted.
Vice President J.D. Vance recently called out European leaders during a security conference in Munich about the growing use of censorship to suppress political dissent and religious beliefs. In it, he cited a number of egregious free speech violations, including that of Smith-Connor.
“A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor, a 51 year old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own,” he said.
As part of his speech, Vance also noted the absurdity of the new Scottish abortion safe access laws, which even applies to those who “can be seen or heard” praying or discussing their pro-life beliefs inside of private homes located within the buffer zones.
The arrest of Rose Docherty is a tragic example of the increasing hostility toward those who seek to defend the sanctity of life. As Christians, we are called to stand for truth, justice, and the protection of the unborn, even when the quiet presence of a pro-life advocate is considered a criminal act.
Prayer is not a threat. Silent reflection before God is not an act of intimidation. And yet, this grandmother was taken into custody simply for standing near a clinic, a supposed “violation” of Scotland’s newly implemented buffer zone laws.
These laws, designed to prohibit protests, are now being used to criminalize not only speech but even private thoughts and prayers. This has established a dangerous precedent — one that undermines fundamental freedoms of religion, expression, and peaceful assembly.
As Christians, we cannot remain quiet while the right to pray in public is stripped away (1 Peter 3:14). Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and to advocate for the most vulnerable, including the unborn. The presence of a peaceful, praying woman should not be met with handcuffs and prosecution but with respect for her deeply held pro-life convictions.
In a world where moral values are increasingly disregarded, it is more critical than ever for believers to be bold in their witness. We must continue to pray, advocate, and stand for life (Psalm 139:13-16), trusting that God will use even the smallest acts of faithfulness to bring about His justice. Arresting and prosecuting Rose Docherty is an unjust act, and we must raise our voices in support of her and all those who courageously defend the unborn (Proverbs 31:8-9).
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