Other outlets, like the BBC, had already leapt to “debunk” Vance’s statement – although Mackay herself has now confirmed that he was correct. She began by claiming that prayer in one’s personal home was not banned – but after just a few questions, was forced to amend that to: “That depends on who is passing the window.” 

A Scottish lawmaker has confirmed that praying inside your home can constitute a crime. 

On February 12, U.S. Vice President JD Vance drew international attention to the draconian restrictions on speech near abortion clinics in Scotland at the Munich Security Conference. After citing the case of U.K. veteran Adam Smith-Connor, who was arrested, charged, and convicted for praying silently about his aborted son near an abortion clinic, Vance highlighted the fact that Scotland’s legislation is even worse. 

“Now, I wish I could say that this was a fluke, a one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person,” he stated. “But no. This last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called ‘safe access’ zones, warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law. Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thoughtcrime in Britain and across Europe.” 

European leaders leapt to condemn Vance’s speech as hyperbole and even overt falsehood, but now Member of Scottish Parliament Gillian Mackay has confirmed Vance’s statement – and ironically, she did so during an interview with the BBC’s news podcast Scotcast, in which she was trying to debunk the allegation. 

Mackay was the Scottish Greens MSP who put forward the Remove term: Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024, which passed last June by a whopping margin of 118 votes to 1 and established 200-metre-wide “exclusion zones” surrounding all Scottish abortion clinics. Letters were then sent to residents who found themselves living inside these “exclusion zones,” informing them that the law applied to their behaviour, on their own property. 

“What about the accusation that even private prayer within your own home could amount to breaking the law?” the host, Martin Geissler, asked. “I mean, it’s stretching it – but it’s not wrong, is it?” 

“It’s absolute nonsense,” Mackay replied with a dismissive laugh. 

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