At root, we are nations who have forgotten what freedom is for, choosing instead to define freedom by what we are free from, such as rules, constraint, or responsibilities. Freedom is always unsustainable for a morally malformed people. The freedom to do however we wish always leads to tyranny, either slavery to one’s own passion or slavery to a force aimed at curbing behavior. 

Earlier this year, it appeared as if the United Kingdom would adopt a “two-tiered” sentencing law, in which members of some minority groups would receive lesser sentences than others for the same crimes. In practice, this would have meant that the more white, male, or Christian someone is, the tougher the judge is instructed to be. While the Sentencing Council, which provides guidance for courts in Britain and Wales, has withdrawn the ruling, Aayan Hirsi Ali is correct in saying that it amounted to “formalising racism” and was “[c]ompletely outrageous.”

The nations sometimes referred to as the Anglosphere—the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.—have traditionally been at the forefront of liberties of speech, conscience, assembly, and religion. However, in recent years, they seem more set on squandering or even abandoning that heritage.

For example, in Scotland, laws claiming to protect so-called abortion rights could easily be interpreted as to criminalize those praying silently in a private house if within 200 meters of an abortion facility. Praying outside near an abortion center is already functionally criminalized.

In Australia, “Billboard Chris” was arrested and fined $800 for holding a sign protesting puberty blockers for children. Brisbane police said he was violating rules against “obstructing or unreasonably disturbing any person lawfully using the mall,” even though it’s obvious from the video that he wasn’t. Given how differently protests for approved causes are treated, it’s clear that Billboard Chris’s real “crime” was opposing transgender ideology.

In the United States, there is the case of Jack Phillips, who’s been targeted by the state of Colorado for 13 years now for refusing to celebrate a “gay wedding” and a gender transition. He’s prevailed twice in court, but both times on legal technicalities.

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