Father Gough: ‘I Was Conceived in the Context of Violence, and My Mother Chose Life for Me’
On Feb.16, two British Catholics were acquitted of all charges relating to praying outside an abortion facility in the English city of Birmingham.
One of the two acquitted was a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, Father Sean Gough.
The priest’s appearance in a criminal court was on account of the relatively new law, Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which creates Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO). According to the local government’s website, a PSPO is: “to tackle anti-social behaviour” and aimed “at ensuring public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour.”
These orders have been used to silence pro-life witness outside of British abortion facilities.
On Feb. 9, Father Gough stood near an abortion facility on Station Road in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham. He held a sign that read: “Praying for Free Speech.” Soon after, the priest was confronted by police officers because, in their view, he appeared to be flouting the PSPO. Eventually, Father Gough was interviewed at a police station. Officers questioned him about his actions and sign and then charged him with the criminal offense of “intimidating service users” of the abortion facility. In addition, it was also made clear by police that the priest faced a second charge relating to a sticker on his parked car that read: “Unborn lives matter.”
As it transpires, due to “insufficient evidence,” charges were not proceeded with against Father Gough. However, the prosecuting authority, the Crown Prosecution Service — the state prosecutors in England and Wales — reserved the right to reinstate charges if fresh evidence came to light. A further court hearing was necessary, therefore, to ensure that no further charges could be brought in these matters. At the court hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Feb. 16, the priest was represented by legal counsel from the faith-based law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF UK). At the end of that hearing, all charges were dropped against Father Gough.
Whether such a case should ever have been brought in the first place remains controversial. After the hearing, Father Gough’s legal counsel, ADF UK’s Jeremiah Igunnubole, noted that the British Parliament “is considering rolling out censorial legislation, which could lead to more situations where people’s thoughts are on trial. Let’s be clear — if Father Sean had stood in the same spot thinking different thoughts, he likely wouldn’t have been arrested.” Igunnubole added in a statement following the court hearing: “Today’s court case is of great cultural significance. This isn’t 1984, but 2023 — nobody should be criminalized for their thoughts, for their prayers, for peaceful expression on a public street.”
So who is the priest at the center of this?
