<p>This week Scotland <a href="https://adfinternational.org/news/state-department-scotland-rose-docherty#:~:text=GLASGOW%20(18%20August%202025)%20%E2%80%93,Glasgow's%20Queen%20Elizabeth%20II%20Hospital." target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> a criminal lawsuit against a pro-life grandmother seeking peaceful conversation outside of a hospital.</p>
<p>Glasgow native Rose Docherty, 75, was arrested and issued a warning in February 2025 for standing within 200 metres of the city’s Queen Elizabeth II Hospital with a sign that read “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”</p>
<p>Docherty was arrested under Scotland’s new <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2024/10/section/4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">buffer zone law</a>, which came into effect last September. The Abortion Services Bill makes it illegal to stand within 200 meters (656 feet) of a hospital for the purpose of “influencing, preventing access, or causing harassment” to women seeking abortions. Offenders can receive fines of up to £10,000.</p>
<p>A State Department spokesman told the Telegraph that it applauds Scotland’s decision to drop the case.</p>
<p>“The United States stands with all those fighting for free speech and religious liberty.”</p>
<p>Docherty <a href="https://adfinternational.org/en-gb/news/prayer-by-window-in-scotland-buffer-zone-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> she wasn’t violating the buffer zone.</p>
<p>“Everyone has the right to a consensual conversation. I simply made myself available for a chat, should anybody like to approach me and speak about any matter on their mind. I didn’t breach the buffer zone – I didn’t harass, intimidate, or even seek to influence anyone. I simply stood there, available to speak with love and compassion.”</p>
<p>After her arrest, Docherty was issued a formal warning that required her to admit wrongdoing and refrain from similar actions in the future. She refused to sign it.</p>
<p>This week, a prosecutor for Glasgow notified Ms. Docherty by letter that &#8220;on the basis of the current information available to me, I have decided to take no further action… at this time.&#8221;</p>
<p>The warning was withdrawn, and authorities agreed to return Docherty’s sign.</p>
<p>The letter noted there was an &#8220;obligation on the prosecutor to keep cases under review,” meaning that charges could technically be reintroduced at a later date.</p>
<p>Docherty and her legal counsel, ADF International, are celebrating the development as a win for free speech: “This is a victory not just for me, but for everyone in Scotland who believes we should be free to hold a peaceful conversation,” Docherty said.</p>
<p>“I stood with love and compassion, ready to listen to anyone who wanted to talk. Criminalising kindness has no place in a free society.”</p>
<p>ADF International Legal Counsel Lorcán Price said that &#8220;Rose’s case is a stark example of how ‘buffer zone’ laws can be weaponised to silence peaceful expression.”</p>
<p>Scotland’s buffer zone law sparked controversy earlier this year when Vice President JD Vance <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87d9j17pjqo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> the Scottish government of policing citizens’ thoughts in his address at the Munich Security Conference in February.</p>
<p>&#8220;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.&#8221;</p>
<p>The government denied the accusation, saying the legislation did not target private prayer.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2025/03-a/foi-202500452910/documents/foi-202500452910---information-released---annex/foi-202500452910---information-released---annex/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202500452910%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BAnnex.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letters</a> sent to residents did not mention prayer specifically, but warned them against performing offenses “in a private place…if they can be seen or heard within the Zone.”</p>
<p>These could include putting up pro-life signs in your windows or holding a vigil or protest in your front yard, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87d9j17pjqo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a>.</p>

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State Department Applauds Scotland’s Decision to Drop Case Against Pro-Life Grandmother