A court in Frankfurt, Germany, has struck down a censorship zone around an abortion centre, which means pro-life advocates may again assemble for silent prayer.
The 40-Days-For-Life prayer group had taken their case to the Administrative Court of Frankfurt, Hesse.
The appeal had been made after the local municipality had suddenly denied permission for their group to hold vigils near a Pro Familia abortion organisation back in 2019.
Twice a year, approximately 20 people usually gathered to pray for the women facing abortion and for the lives of their unborn children. The vigils would take place for 40 days – silently and peacefully.
According to ADF International, which is supporting another group undergoing a similar ban in Pforzheim, Germany, the group was not preventing anybody from entering the building, nor were they blocking the pavement in the surrounding area.
Regardless, the municipality banned them from praying in sight of the Pro Familia abortion advisory centre.
As ET reported in 2021, Pavica Vojnović (pictured) and her 40-Days-for-Life prayer group from Pforzheim also recently received permission to appeal in her case, which raises similar issues.
In November, the Administrative Court of Appeals in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, said it would hear the appeal against the prohibition on silent prayer gatherings in the proximity of the clinic in Pforzheim.
Dr Felix Böllmann, senior counsel at ADF International, said, ‘We welcome the court’s ruling in Frankfurt, which protects the fundamental freedoms of speech, expression and assembly.
‘We are hopeful that this ruling will set a positive example for cases such as Ms. Vojnović’s.’
ADF commented that the court’s decision in Frankfurt sets a positive example for further free speech and free assembly cases.
In its reasoning, the court affirmed that the law guarantees the holders of fundamental rights the right to determine the place, time, nature, and content of their meeting.
