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Lisa Bast
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Northern Ireland mother defends 'the Lord's little ones' despite abortion buffer zone
Claire Brennan, a 54-year-old Roman Catholic mother of four from Ballymena, has emerged as the public symbol of Northern Ireland’s pro‑life resistance to “safe access” or buffer‑zone laws after being arrested for praying outside an abortion facility and subsequently convicted under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023.
In an extensive interview with Live Action News, Brennan described how her family background, religious convictions, and personal experiences with injustice catapulted her into direct activism — contending that prayer, instead of politics alone, will eventually bring about the collapse of abortion within her lifetime.
Claire Brennan of Northern Ireland was convicted in December 2024 of violating the country's abortion clinic buffer zone for engaging in prayer outside an abortion business.
The charges against her were finally dropped in May 2026, after witnesses failed to show up and other evidence against her was deemed insufficient.
Brennan told Live Action News that she will keep praying and providing support outside clinics, working within the 150-meter restrictions as far as possible while advancing a broader legal challenge to the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.
Brennan's pro-life beliefs stemmed from growing up in a large family "surrounded by children's laughter." Today, she has four children of her own, and a grandchild.
Brennan’s case has attracted attention beyond Northern Ireland, with pro-life campaigners condemning the buffer-zone legislation as an “oppressive” measure that demands “consent and silences dissent” while outlawing peaceful prayer and conversation.
Brennan explained that her belief in the need to defend every unborn child did not originate in theological study about the dignity of every human life but stemmed from the lived experience of being part of a large family.
“I grew up in a large family — one of eight children — and was surrounded by children’s laughter,” she stated. “Our home was the epicenter of life.”
From age 11, Brennan babysat and “adored” her nieces and nephews, she recalls, acknowledging to Live Action News that when she married at 31, she and her husband were “desperate to become parents.”
The couple conceived soon after their wedding and later welcomed four daughters.
“Children made my home complete,” Brennan says. “Each child brought more joy and enriched our lives.”
Currently a grandmother to a two‑year‑old grandson, Brennan said that hearing children’s laughter in her home again was a profound blessing and told Live Action News that “nothing is more important to me than spending precious time with my children and grandchild.”
Brennan attributed her activism to a deep‑seated instinct to “stand against injustice,” which she conceded she felt called to even as a child protecting “the rights of the weak.”
Her mother‑in‑law was a prominent pro‑life activist with the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and prayed outside a Belfast abortion advisory clinic that referred women to England.
At first, Brennan turned down the invitation, explaining that she had small children to care for at home and that she still viewed Northern Ireland as a pro‑life nation.
However, her stance shifted when Marie Stopes established an abortion clinic in Belfast.
“A righteous anger came over me,” Brennan said.
Even with three young children and a three-week-old newborn at home, she joined the protest on the clinic’s opening day, breastfeeding her baby during the demonstration to “show the world the beauty of life.”
Initially, Brennan thought that government opposition would lead to the clinic’s swift closure; instead, the abortion mill continued operating under legal protection, while pro-life individuals offering prayer and information faced criminalization.
For five and a half years, Brennan maintained a faithful presence outside the Belfast clinic as part of a prayer and outreach campaign she believed led to its closure—the first abortion facility, she posited, ever to shut down voluntarily.
“Five thousand hours of prayer helped close it down, along with the endless sacrifice of people who stood in the freezing cold and reached out to women,” Brennan avowed. “I had seen the power of prayer… I realized that I could make a difference.”
After abortion was legalized in Northern Ireland through Westminster legislation, Brennan shifted her efforts from one clinic to another.
She told Live Action News that she had witnessed three facilities close after prayer and outreach: first, the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast; then, a center in Ballymena; and later, a clinic in Coleraine.
“I will continue to pray outside Coleraine Hospital where I am now until it closes or the hospital closes,” she pledged. “I will keep moving on until abortion is illegal, unthinkable, and unutterable from our lips.”
Brennan was first arrested under the new buffer-zone legislation on October 3, 2023, outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, where she and fellow pro-life activist David Hall were praying the Lord’s Prayer and holding a “Pray to End Abortion” sign within the designated zone.
Police ordered them to leave; both refused to comply and were arrested.
“I had been praying outside the boundary of Coleraine Hospital for almost two years when I heard that buffer zones were going to be imposed,” Brennan revealed. “I felt desperately sad that our country’s democracy had stooped so low that even prayer could become a crime.”
After weighing the risks with her husband — who was worried about the possibility of prison and fines — Brennan proceeded with her activism with his support. On the day she was arrested, pro-abortion activists showed up, yelled that Brennan and Hall were breaking the law, and summoned the police.
“We stood our ground and did not leave. We did not deny Christ,” she divulged. “Sadly, history was made that day in Northern Ireland. I was arrested for the act of praying on 3 October 2023,” Brennan told Live Action News.
Brennan was subsequently convicted in December 2024 at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court and was fined £750 (a little over $1000 USD) — £300 (about $400 USD) for unlawful protest and £450 (about $600 USD) for refusing to leave the buffer zone — and has stated she would refuse to pay and accept up to a week in prison instead of submitting to the pro-abortion pressure.
Brennan’s court fight took a striking twist during her appeal, upon learning that Deputy County Court Judge Ciaran Moynagh, who was hearing the case, had received the “Humanist of the Year” award from Humanists UK in 2018 and had a documented record of abortion‑related activism.
She then lodged a formal complaint alleging apparent bias, contending that a fair hearing was unattainable before a judge with such a background.
In court, Brennan informed Moynagh that she had reported him to the Chief Lady Justice and asked him outright whether he believed he could adjudicate her case impartially. On November 11, 2025, Moynagh proclaimed that he would recuse himself “out of an abundance of caution” to ensure justice was “seen to be done,” prompting a retrial.
“Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done,” Brennan declared to Live Action News. “How could I have a fair trial with this new information? How could my Christian rights be protected in law by a judge who, I believed, openly denied the laws of God?"
Having said that, she credited the recusal to “powerful prayers that people around the world had offered for my case” and said that she now hopes her appeal will be heard by a different judge, with further proceedings expected in the High Court and, eventually, the UK Supreme Court.
Brennan portrayed the case as “one of the biggest challenges of my life,” recounting times when she felt “completely alone” and grappled to find a legal team willing to take the fight “from a position of faith.”
Many lawyers told her, “You can’t beat a Supreme Court ruling,” she said, but she reaffirmed her belief that “Jesus [i]s the Supreme Judge over all the courts.”
After praying for assistance, she was contacted by Christian Concern, whose team supported and guided her at every stage. Although the pro-life legal group does not have rights of audience in Northern Ireland, its director, Andrea Williams, arranged for senior barristers to sit alongside Brennan in court and coach her as a litigant in person.
“Christian Concern has been my greatest Godsend throughout this entire process,” Brennan told Live Action News. “They were there when I was at my lowest point, and they were there when I wanted to share our victories.”
The case against Brennan fell apart in May when witnesses didn't show up to testify against her. As Gript reported:
... [A]t her trial hearing, the conviction was overturned by District Judge King after key charges were dropped, witnesses failed to attend, and the remaining evidence was deemed insufficient to sustain a conviction.
Looking to the future, Brennan says she will keep praying and providing support outside clinics, working within the 150-meter restrictions as far as possible while advancing a broader legal challenge to the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.
“I have faith that we will win this battle, and I will continue fighting alongside them in the war against abortion and for the least of the Lord’s little ones — my baby brothers and sisters in the womb,” Brennan said.
Brennan’s case has attracted attention well beyond Northern Ireland, with pro-life campaigners condemning the buffer-zone legislation as an “oppressive” measure that demands “consent and silences dissent” while outlawing peaceful prayer and conversation.
As her appeal and associated cases progress through the courts, Brennan presented her testimony as part of a broader struggle for religious freedom and the dignity of all human lives.
In remarks cited by Christian Concern, Brennan once said, “These censorship zones are unjust. They silence prayer, restrict free speech, and prevent women from hearing that there is another option besides abortion.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Human Interest·By Angeline Tan
Northern Ireland mother defends 'the Lord's little ones' despite abortion buffer zone
Claire Brennan, a 54-year-old Roman Catholic mother of four from Ballymena, has emerged as the public symbol of Northern Ireland’s pro‑life resistance to “safe access” or buffer‑zone laws after being arrested for praying outside an abortion facility and subsequently convicted under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023.
In an extensive interview with Live Action News, Brennan described how her family background, religious convictions, and personal experiences with injustice catapulted her into direct activism — contending that prayer, instead of politics alone, will eventually bring about the collapse of abortion within her lifetime.
Claire Brennan of Northern Ireland was convicted in December 2024 of violating the country's abortion clinic buffer zone for engaging in prayer outside an abortion business.
The charges against her were finally dropped in May 2026, after witnesses failed to show up and other evidence against her was deemed insufficient.
Brennan told Live Action News that she will keep praying and providing support outside clinics, working within the 150-meter restrictions as far as possible while advancing a broader legal challenge to the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.
Brennan's pro-life beliefs stemmed from growing up in a large family "surrounded by children's laughter." Today, she has four children of her own, and a grandchild.
Brennan’s case has attracted attention beyond Northern Ireland, with pro-life campaigners condemning the buffer-zone legislation as an “oppressive” measure that demands “consent and silences dissent” while outlawing peaceful prayer and conversation.
Brennan explained that her belief in the need to defend every unborn child did not originate in theological study about the dignity of every human life but stemmed from the lived experience of being part of a large family.
“I grew up in a large family — one of eight children — and was surrounded by children’s laughter,” she stated. “Our home was the epicenter of life.”
From age 11, Brennan babysat and “adored” her nieces and nephews, she recalls, acknowledging to Live Action News that when she married at 31, she and her husband were “desperate to become parents.”
The couple conceived soon after their wedding and later welcomed four daughters.
“Children made my home complete,” Brennan says. “Each child brought more joy and enriched our lives.”
Currently a grandmother to a two‑year‑old grandson, Brennan said that hearing children’s laughter in her home again was a profound blessing and told Live Action News that “nothing is more important to me than spending precious time with my children and grandchild.”
Brennan attributed her activism to a deep‑seated instinct to “stand against injustice,” which she conceded she felt called to even as a child protecting “the rights of the weak.”
Her mother‑in‑law was a prominent pro‑life activist with the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and prayed outside a Belfast abortion advisory clinic that referred women to England.
At first, Brennan turned down the invitation, explaining that she had small children to care for at home and that she still viewed Northern Ireland as a pro‑life nation.
However, her stance shifted when Marie Stopes established an abortion clinic in Belfast.
“A righteous anger came over me,” Brennan said.
Even with three young children and a three-week-old newborn at home, she joined the protest on the clinic’s opening day, breastfeeding her baby during the demonstration to “show the world the beauty of life.”
Initially, Brennan thought that government opposition would lead to the clinic’s swift closure; instead, the abortion mill continued operating under legal protection, while pro-life individuals offering prayer and information faced criminalization.
For five and a half years, Brennan maintained a faithful presence outside the Belfast clinic as part of a prayer and outreach campaign she believed led to its closure—the first abortion facility, she posited, ever to shut down voluntarily.
“Five thousand hours of prayer helped close it down, along with the endless sacrifice of people who stood in the freezing cold and reached out to women,” Brennan avowed. “I had seen the power of prayer… I realized that I could make a difference.”
After abortion was legalized in Northern Ireland through Westminster legislation, Brennan shifted her efforts from one clinic to another.
She told Live Action News that she had witnessed three facilities close after prayer and outreach: first, the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast; then, a center in Ballymena; and later, a clinic in Coleraine.
“I will continue to pray outside Coleraine Hospital where I am now until it closes or the hospital closes,” she pledged. “I will keep moving on until abortion is illegal, unthinkable, and unutterable from our lips.”
Brennan was first arrested under the new buffer-zone legislation on October 3, 2023, outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, where she and fellow pro-life activist David Hall were praying the Lord’s Prayer and holding a “Pray to End Abortion” sign within the designated zone.
Police ordered them to leave; both refused to comply and were arrested.
“I had been praying outside the boundary of Coleraine Hospital for almost two years when I heard that buffer zones were going to be imposed,” Brennan revealed. “I felt desperately sad that our country’s democracy had stooped so low that even prayer could become a crime.”
After weighing the risks with her husband — who was worried about the possibility of prison and fines — Brennan proceeded with her activism with his support. On the day she was arrested, pro-abortion activists showed up, yelled that Brennan and Hall were breaking the law, and summoned the police.
“We stood our ground and did not leave. We did not deny Christ,” she divulged. “Sadly, history was made that day in Northern Ireland. I was arrested for the act of praying on 3 October 2023,” Brennan told Live Action News.
Brennan was subsequently convicted in December 2024 at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court and was fined £750 (a little over $1000 USD) — £300 (about $400 USD) for unlawful protest and £450 (about $600 USD) for refusing to leave the buffer zone — and has stated she would refuse to pay and accept up to a week in prison instead of submitting to the pro-abortion pressure.
Brennan’s court fight took a striking twist during her appeal, upon learning that Deputy County Court Judge Ciaran Moynagh, who was hearing the case, had received the “Humanist of the Year” award from Humanists UK in 2018 and had a documented record of abortion‑related activism.
She then lodged a formal complaint alleging apparent bias, contending that a fair hearing was unattainable before a judge with such a background.
In court, Brennan informed Moynagh that she had reported him to the Chief Lady Justice and asked him outright whether he believed he could adjudicate her case impartially. On November 11, 2025, Moynagh proclaimed that he would recuse himself “out of an abundance of caution” to ensure justice was “seen to be done,” prompting a retrial.
“Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done,” Brennan declared to Live Action News. “How could I have a fair trial with this new information? How could my Christian rights be protected in law by a judge who, I believed, openly denied the laws of God?"
Having said that, she credited the recusal to “powerful prayers that people around the world had offered for my case” and said that she now hopes her appeal will be heard by a different judge, with further proceedings expected in the High Court and, eventually, the UK Supreme Court.
Brennan portrayed the case as “one of the biggest challenges of my life,” recounting times when she felt “completely alone” and grappled to find a legal team willing to take the fight “from a position of faith.”
Many lawyers told her, “You can’t beat a Supreme Court ruling,” she said, but she reaffirmed her belief that “Jesus [i]s the Supreme Judge over all the courts.”
After praying for assistance, she was contacted by Christian Concern, whose team supported and guided her at every stage. Although the pro-life legal group does not have rights of audience in Northern Ireland, its director, Andrea Williams, arranged for senior barristers to sit alongside Brennan in court and coach her as a litigant in person.
“Christian Concern has been my greatest Godsend throughout this entire process,” Brennan told Live Action News. “They were there when I was at my lowest point, and they were there when I wanted to share our victories.”
The case against Brennan fell apart in May when witnesses didn't show up to testify against her. As Gript reported:
... [A]t her trial hearing, the conviction was overturned by District Judge King after key charges were dropped, witnesses failed to attend, and the remaining evidence was deemed insufficient to sustain a conviction.
Looking to the future, Brennan says she will keep praying and providing support outside clinics, working within the 150-meter restrictions as far as possible while advancing a broader legal challenge to the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.
“I have faith that we will win this battle, and I will continue fighting alongside them in the war against abortion and for the least of the Lord’s little ones — my baby brothers and sisters in the womb,” Brennan said.
Brennan’s case has attracted attention well beyond Northern Ireland, with pro-life campaigners condemning the buffer-zone legislation as an “oppressive” measure that demands “consent and silences dissent” while outlawing peaceful prayer and conversation.
As her appeal and associated cases progress through the courts, Brennan presented her testimony as part of a broader struggle for religious freedom and the dignity of all human lives.
In remarks cited by Christian Concern, Brennan once said, “These censorship zones are unjust. They silence prayer, restrict free speech, and prevent women from hearing that there is another option besides abortion.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Lisa Bast
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Melissa Manion
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Activism
Angeline Tan
·Activism
Angeline Tan
·Human Interest
Angeline Tan
·Activism
Angeline Tan
·Analysis
Angeline Tan
·