Britain can brace itself for another scolding from U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Last week, a second anti-abortion activist was convicted of breaching a protest buffer zone outside a clinic, the same offense that prompted Vance to accuse the U.K. of backsliding on free speech in his February address to the Munich Security Conference. The Veep is right that Britain’s climate for free expression is deteriorating — he just picked the wrong case to illustrate the point.

Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64-year-old retired medical scientist, was found guilty of breaching a legal perimeter when she stood near a clinic in southern England holding a sign that said "Here to talk, if you want.” She was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £20,000 ($26,000). The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor said it was disappointed by the outcome and freedom of expression "must be protected for all.”

Abortion opponents make a poor choice of standard bearer for such a campaign. Activists aren’t prevented from expressing their views; they’re merely required to stand at least 150 meters away from the premises. These "safe zones” are a reasonable attempt to balance free-speech protections with the interests of women using these clinics and their staff, who have a right to access them without harassment. The balance may not be perfect, but this is hardly an Orwellian clampdown. The irony of Vance’s complaints is that you don’t need to go far in Britain to find much more pertinent examples.