By Raymond J. Adamek, PhD
In 1949, English author George Orwell published 1984, a book that described what he thought the political world might look like 35 years into the future.1 He saw the world divided into three major world governments. Oceania was made up of North and South America, the British Isles, Australia, and South Africa. Eurasia was dominated by the Soviet Union and stretched from Portugal to the Bering Strait, and Eastasia included China, Japan, and the Pacific islands.
The totalitarian government of Oceania had eliminated all religious beliefs, with leftist thought called “Ingsoc” being the governing ideology promulgated by “Big Brother.” All citizens were under constant surveillance, as two-way “telescreens” were everywhere. Citizens of Oceania could be arrested for “thoughtcrime,” which was any thought not in tune with the ideology of the government. Thoughtcrime could be detected through the government’s constant monitoring, in both private and public spaces. It might be revealed by facial expressions or what one said, whether awake or asleep. In addition, the government had numerous spies, which could include one’s friends and family.
Thoughtcrime in the UK
Although later than Orwell predicted, individuals in some communities in the British Isles have been arrested for their private thoughts. In late 2022, some jurisdictions passed Public Spaces Protection Orders, which drew a zone of 150 meters around local abortion facilities. With some variation, persons within the zone are not allowed to inform, advise, influence, persuade, pray, hold vigils, offer help, or express an opinion regarding abortion.2 In October 2024, the UK government created “safe access zones” that extended these restrictions to all facilities and hospitals in England and Wales that offer abortions.3 Scotland passed a similar law a month earlier.4
Since these restrictions were first passed in 2022, several pro-lifers have been arrested for what amounts to thoughtcrimes.
In November 2022, in Bournemouth, a town on England’s southern coast, Livia Tossici-Bolt met with a friend to pray quietly in a public space outside of a local safe access zone.5 Patrol officers warned Tossici-Bolt and her friend that their prayer could cause “intimidation, harassment, or distress” to others and asked them to leave.
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