The Catholic Herald is floating the idea of holding a March for Life in London. This is an excellent idea: we wouldn't be able to match the scale of the US March but we could certainly make an impact. It would also be an important opportunity for the Catholic Church to witness to the value of human life as well as co-operating with those other Christians and people of other faiths who share our convictions on this issue.
The article recognises the possible problems but I agree that these could be overcome by marshalling some of our energetic and enthusiastic young pro-lifers. See: Let’s take courage and hold a March for Life in Britain.
For an idea of what happens in the USA, see the official March for Life website and many US blogs which cover it. You do need to look at the blogs to find out much about it. As the Herald said:
If you rely on the television or daily papers for your news this is probably the first you’ve heard of it. Even in the United States it barely registered in the mainstream media.
Fr John Boyle was there and has posted a slideshow of photos from the march. It also worth looking at his advance information from a couple of weeks ago.
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Yes would be very keen to help with organising this: www.40daysforlife.com/london
There is already a march for life every year called 500 crosses for life, supported several pro-life organisations. Why not buildon this.
Also, we will be having London's second 40 Days for Life, starting this Lent 9th March. The last one was a massive success.
23rd February 2011, in the evening, Brompton Oratory, 40 Days for Life cast the vision event, with Margaret Cuthill of ARCH speaking.
Please do a blog about this, and get yourself along if you can.
A pro-life demonstration in Paris on Sunday 23 January was reported on the French news. TV station France 2 reported:
Plusieurs centaines de personnes opposées à l'avortement ont défilé dimanche à Paris
Composé de nombreuses familles, le cortège est parti vers 15h30 de la place de la République vers l'Opéra, derrière une banderole proclamant "Unis pour défendre la vie".
Les manifestants étaient venus de toute la France, à l'occasion du 36e anniversaire de la loi Veil qui a légalisé en France l'avortement et dont ils réclament l'abolition.
Chaque année la France comptabilise environ 200.000 avortements pour 800.000 naissances.
Le collectif de 15 associations "En marche pour la vie" revendique "la reconnaissance de la dignité humaine dès la conception" ainsi qu'"une véritable politique au service de la vie et de la famille impliquant un développement sans précédent des aides à la maternité et des structures d'accueil pour les femmes enceintes en difficulté".
Il refuse "la simple révision des lois de bioéthique", sur laquelle doit se pencher l'Assemblée nationale en février, et réclame "l'interdiction pure et simple de toute forme d'expérimentation ou de sélection sur l'embryon humain". "Nous craignons une levée du moratoire sur la recherche embryonnaire", a expliqué Benjamin Izarn, président des "Etudiants pro-vie".
Le collectif réunit, outre cette association, Choisir la Vie, Chrétienté-Solidarité, le comité pour Sauver l'Enfant à Naître, la Confédération Nationale des Familles Chrétiennes, Laissez-les Vivre-SOS Futures Mères et Renaissance Catholique, entre autres.
La marche se voulait non confessionnelle et apolitique. Le Parti chrétien-démocrate que préside Christine Boutin avait cependant appelé à y participer.
I am sure that the various groups mentioned would be pleased to assist in the UK.
The Crosses for Life is a very powerful witness around Parliament organised by Wolfgang in EU cities, with its own charisma. We used to have the Chain for Life, holding placards on a route in Central London, also very powerful. Then we used to have the march/procession to Battersea park, once even led by Cardinal Hume, RIP.
It would need SPUC et al to get together to restore this march, but before all it needs a VERY VIGOROUS promotion from pulpits in preparation... there's the rub!
"For an idea of what happens in the USA, see the official March for Life website and many US blogs which cover it. You do need to look at the blogs to find out much about it. As the Herald said:
'If you rely on the television or daily papers for your news this is probably the first you’ve heard of it. Even in the United States it barely registered in the mainstream media.'"
True, Fr. Tim. Last year, there were over 300,000 participants in the DC March for Life, yet the cameras which showed up focused on the handful of pro-choice counter-protesters standing glumly on the Supreme Court House steps. This year, there was an AP wire on the event, but which never mentioned the turnout—an estimated 250,000—and focused solely on the members of Congress who addressed the rally. The American MSM apparently operates under Lenin's dictum, "Whoever controls the news controls the truth"; they just don't understand that they no longer control the news.
This is a MUST in my opinion and I hope the clergy will seize the initiative and publicise such an event. We also need to inform all Churches Together groups. Let's do it !
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