MSP: ‘Praying in your home could be illegal depending who passes the window’

The MSP behind Scotland’s abortion censorship zones has confirmed that the law is designed to ban residents from praying inside their own homes.

Speaking on BBC Scotcast, Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay initially attempted to deny that the Abortion Services Act (Scotland) 2024 could impact private dwellings that are situated within an abortion centre’s 200-metre buffer zone.

But she later stated that praying inside your home could be illegal, depending “on who is passing the window” and whether someone could pray loudly enough “to be seen from outside their own house”.

🚨🙏NEW: When asked if PRAYING BY WINDOW in your home could be a crime under the “buffer zones” law, Gillian Mackay MSP claims:

“That depends on who’s passing the window”‼️🪟

The same politician has repeatedly claimed that JD Vance was LYING 👇 pic.twitter.com/11vCCaWFtg

— Lois McLatchie Miller (@LoisMcLatch) February 25, 2025

Private homes

The interview followed public criticism of a letter delivered to people who resided within a censorship zone in Edinburgh last year, which warned they could be criminalised for doing “anything” to try and “influence someone’s decision to access, provide or facilitate” abortions, or that would “cause harassment, alarm, or distress” to abortion centre staff or clients.

The letter, which was sent by the Scottish Government, explained: “In general, the offences apply in public places within the safe access zones.

“However, activities in a private place (such as a house) within the area between the protected premises and the boundary of a zone could be an offence if they can be seen or heard within the zone and are done intentionally or recklessly.”

‘Criminal’

In the West Midlands, Co-Director at March for Life UK Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was told by the police that her “mere presence” near an abortion centre was causing harassment because she holds “anti-abortion” views.

Commenting on the incident, Miss Vaughan-Spruce said: “Every person has a right to stand in a public space and think what they want.

“The police officer told me that my ‘mere presence’ was offensive – that’s nothing short of viewpoint discrimination. He believes that just because I hold pro-life beliefs, I am automatically a criminal in certain public areas. This isn’t right.”

New rules came into effect in England and Wales on 31 October which ban offers of help to pregnant women within 150m of buildings where abortions take place.