A retired Baptist pastor has been charged with violating the controversial buffer zone law near an abortion clinic in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, after delivering an open-air sermon based on the Bible verse John 3:16.
The 76-year-old pastor, Clive Johnston, a former president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, faces two charges under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act, including allegedly seeking to “influence” individuals accessing abortion services and failing to leave the area when instructed by police, according to The Christian Institute, which is defending Johnston.
Pastor Johnston’s sermon took place on July 7, 2024, on a patch of grass near Causeway Hospital. The location was separated from the hospital by a dual carriageway, and about a dozen people attended the service, which included hymn singing and a wooden cross as part of the gathering.
Despite the absence of placards or any mention of abortion in his sermon, authorities deemed the service a violation of the buffer zone regulations.
Johnston is due to appear at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where he could face fines totaling thousands of pounds.
The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Simon Calvert called the prosecution “an outrageous restriction on freedom of religion and freedom of speech.”
Calvert argued that the buffer zone law, designed to prevent harassment or protests near abortion clinics, is being misapplied in this instance. “It’s just not reasonable or rational to suggest that preaching the Gospel, with no reference to abortion, is a protest against abortion. The Police and the Public Prosecution Service are over-stepping the mark. This is not what buffer zones were designed to do.”
John 3:16, the focus of Johnston’s sermon, says, “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.”
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act, introduced in 2022 by the Green Party, established 100-150 meter buffer zones around hospitals and abortion clinics in Northern Ireland. The law prohibits activities that impede, record, influence, or cause harassment, alarm, or distress within these zones.
However, critics now question whether the law is being used to suppress non-abortion-related expressions of faith or speech.
Johnston’s supporters stressed that his gathering wasn't disruptive and that his sermon focused solely on the Gospel message of God’s love, as reflected in John 3:16.
The Christian Institute, which previously supported Ashers Baking Co. in a landmark Supreme Court case, argued that the prosecution sets a dangerous precedent for limiting freedom of expression in public spaces.
“The Christian Institute is backing this case because there is a vital principle at stake,” Calvert explained. “If the Gospel can be banned in this public place, where else can it be banned? The authorities do not seem to have thought through the human rights implications of their decision to prosecute.”