A 76-year-old woman who was arrested and fined in England for praying in front of an abortion clinic has had her sentence overturned after Merseyside police dropped the charge against her.
According to information from the organization ADF International, which represented her in the case, Rosa Lalor was detained in Liverpool in February 2021 accused of breaking the rules of the lockdown against Covid-19 then in force in the country.
The officers understood that praying in front of the abortion clinic, outside a place of worship, was a “protest” and not a valid reason to flout the sanitary block.
“I am delighted that the prosecution has finally dropped this charge after a long and exhausting battle for justice,” the elderly woman said in a statement from ADF International.
“I took this challenge forward with the support of the ADF to show that we all have a fundamental right to pray – especially to pray as I did, in the privacy of my own mind.”
Also in a statement, Lalor’s lawyer, Jeremiah Igunnubole, said it was “deeply regretful that this law-abiding woman has been subjected to harrowing and protracted criminal proceedings, no doubt due to her pro-life stance.”
“It is a manifestation of a troubling trend in law enforcement where individuals are routinely arrested simply because their views are considered controversial or offensive,” he added.
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