Pastor Guilty for Preaching Near Abortion Clinic, Faces Legal Battle

Retired Pastor Faces Conviction Over Preaching Near Abortion Clinic

In Northern Ireland, a retired pastor has been convicted for violating an abortion clinic’s ‘safe access zone’ for delivering a sermon on John 3:16. Clive Johnston, 78, was found guilty by a district judge at Coleraine Magistrates on Thursday.

The charges against Pastor Johnston stem from an open-air service he conducted outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine in July 2024, which was deemed to have breached the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act. As a result, the grandfather of seven now faces a criminal record and substantial fines.

Supported by The Christian Institute, Johnston, a former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, is considering an appeal. He denied any harassment and described his conviction as a significant setback for Christian freedom.

“We held a small, open-air Sunday service near a hospital. We made no reference whatsoever to the issue of abortion. And yet the buffer zones law is so broad that holding a Sunday service has been found to be a criminal offence. And at 78 years of age I find myself, for the first time, convicted of a crime,” Johnston stated.

Johnston emphasized that the service did not involve any violent or harassing behavior, as confirmed by police recordings and those involved in the case. John 3:16, the focus of his sermon, is a renowned biblical verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

In anticipation of the court proceedings, Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute, remarked that the verse “is a wonderful, famous verse and everyone knows it says nothing about abortion.” He criticized the actions of law enforcement and prosecution, asserting that sharing the Gospel should not be mistaken for an anti-abortion protest.

“We have amazing freedom in this country to share the Christian message. That’s why we’ve taken on this case,” Calvert said. “Prosecuting Pastor Johnston for preaching ‘God so loved the world’ near a hospital on a quiet Sunday is a shocking new attempt to restrict freedom of religion and freedom of speech in a part of the world where open air gospel services are a part of the culture.”