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Do you remember US V-P JD Vance raising the issue of free speech in the Oval Office with UK PM Keir Starmer who was very quick to point out how free speech flourishes here? He was lying, of course, as I shall go on to demonstrate!
Which brings me to Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64-year-old retired medical scientist from Bournemouth.
Livia has found herself at the heart of a contentious legal and moral debate, one that has unexpectedly thrust her into the international spotlight. A devout Catholic and committed pro-life advocate, Livia’s story is one of conviction, resilience, and a deeply held belief in the sanctity of life—a belief she has carried from her professional life in the NHS to her personal mission on the streets of her hometown.
She has just been convicted for breaching a ridiculous Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) outside an abortion clinic. A physicist by training, she spent years serving the public through her work in medical science, a career rooted in care and healing. Her pro-life stance, informed by her faith and her experiences, led her to join 40 Days for Life, a global movement aimed at ending abortion through peaceful means. I
n March 2023, she stood outside a Bournemouth clinic, holding a simple sign: “Here to talk, if you want.” To her, this was an offer of kindness—an invitation to women in distress to share their burdens with someone who cared. She wasn’t shouting slogans or blocking entrances; she was, in her own words, “just there if people wanted to come up and talk.”
Yet, the UK law saw it differently. The clinic’s “buffer zone,” enforced by the PSPO, prohibits any activity that might influence those seeking abortions. Livia’s presence, however benign she intended it, was deemed a breach. She was approached by police and council officials, informed of a complaint about harassment, and asked to leave. She refused—not out of defiance, she insists, but because she couldn’t fathom how her silent offer could harm anyone.
Her trial at Poole Magistrates’ Court, culminating in a guilty verdict yesterday, left her with a two-year conditional discharge and a £20,000 cost order. By silently protesting abortion she has been turned into a criminal. Many will share my view that this is a crushing blow to free expression. Killing babies comes before free speech in Blighty these days.
The emotional toll on her must be immense. Livia has spoken of her gratitude to the US State Department and ADF International for their support, highlighting her sense of isolation in a country she believes has lost its way on free speech.
“Great Britain is supposed to be a free country,” she lamented, “yet I’ve been dragged through court merely for offering consensual conversation.”
Her words carry the weight of betrayal—a scientist and citizen who trusted in the values of dialogue and liberty, only to find them curtailed. The £20,000 fine, a significant burden for a retiree, underscores the personal cost of her stand. Sir Keir Starmer is working overtime to further curtail free speech, even when as in this case, it is SILENT protest. I hope this is being monitored in the White House.
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