Paris March for Life press release

25.000 pro-lifers, with a majority of families and under-25, marched peacefully against abortion in Paris today in the 6th edition of the Paris “March for Life”. Its non-sectarian and non-partisan organizing committee, « En marche pour la vie ! », brings together 15 French Pro-Life advocacy groups.

Cécile Edel, president of Choisir La Vie and speaking for the committee, called upon her countrymen to reflect upon “the disastrous result” of 35 years of legal abortion: the “unspeakable sufferings” of millions of women, and the “blatant injustice” towards millions of their unborn brothers and sisters.

Despite having one of the very highest contraception rates in the world, France today has the second highest abortion rate in Western Europe, second only to Sweden – a situation even the sponsor of France’s 1975 abortion legalization law, Simone Veil, has deemed “distressing”.

They described the way forward as one of “compassion and justice”: compassion by providing expectant mothers with the real choice, that of preserving their unborn life; and justice with the comprehensive abolition of abortion.

2010 saw a sharp rise in the number of demonstrators, who were 15,000 in 2009. This year saw a record number of French Catholic bishops, 26 in all, support the March. It also saw an unprecedented mobilization on social networks such as Facebook.

A dozen international delegations took part in the March, among which a representative from the UK Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and Dolores Meehan, co-founder of the San Francisco Walk for Life. Speaking from the podium, Dolores Meehan encouraged the demonstrators, telling them « future generations of Europeans will be able to bring about a culture of Life thanks to your courage to come and publicly say NO to abortion.”

The Paris Marche pour la Vie will also be represented at the next San Francisco Walk for Life, which will take place Saturday 23 January.