Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Mullen for his in-depth contribution on this particular amendment. This amendment would ensure that silent prayer would be protected. Already in England, we saw a case of several people who have been interrogated, arrested and fined for simply standing in the vicinity of abortion providers and silently praying without holding any signs or making any statements. One man, Adam Smith-Connor, was asked by a police officer, "What is the nature of your prayer?". When he said he was praying for the unborn child and in memory of his son who was aborted, he was arrested.

This is Orwellian and breaches Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which includes the freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The Bill as it currently stands makes it quite possible that we would see similar situations where people could be arrested for silently engaging in private prayer if they happened to be within one of these sprawling 100 m zones. What about our protections for prayer, which are the ordinary customary practice that is inherently public in nature and unrelated to protest or advocacy, such as, for example, the Corpus Christi processions? Graveyards near a hospital may have a funeral where a rosary is being said during a public procession, a wedding or indeed in an outdoor place. This amendment would prevent that possibility.I refer to any religious activity; it does not matter what it is. Those holy days are very important.