Displaying items by tag: legal action

Birmingham City Council issued a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to deter people from gathering outside an abortion clinic with placards and pictures to protect patients from being harassed and intimidated when entering. 40 Days for Life Birmingham are concerned as the order makes it illegal to pray outside the clinic. They are taking the council to court, saying, ‘Through this action, we are not asking anyone to agree with what we believe; others have the right to disagree. We ask for justice, despite our different beliefs. It is disproportionate and unnecessary to ban prayer connected to abortion in an area near a Catholic church and to ban the words “baby” or “mum” in text or imagery.’ The PSPO comes after the Government voted for nationwide ‘buffer zones’ outside abortion clinics. Anyone breaching them faces up to six months in jail for a first offence and up to two years for several offences.

Scotland's Destiny Church has begun fundraising for £150,000 to enable them to take legal action against Edinburgh Council, believing the case will have ramifications for the UK Church. It stems from the recent cancellation of a booking made at the city's Usher Hall for the church’s annual SURGE conference with Gavin Calver and Larry Stockstill. The cancellation came after the venue said it had received complaints linked to comments Mr Stockstill had previously made. He is a preacher, author, and pastors' mentor who runs a church-planting network. According to the Times, Stockstill has described same-sex relationships as ‘offensive’, ‘repulsive’, and ‘deeply grievous’. See Destiny Church, a thriving Pentecostal network focusing on evangelism and social action with congregations across Scotland, has been criticised by the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church.