Photo via catholicnewsagency.com

Paris March for Life unites 25,000 French pro-lifers

25,000 pro-lifers, consisting largely of families and youth, marched peacefully against abortion in Paris on Sunday in the 6th annual Paris "March for Life." The event brought together 15 French pro-life advocacy groups against abortion on the 35th anniversary of its legalization in the country, reports LifeSiteNews.com.

Cécile Edel, president of Choisir La Vie, 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."

Pro-lifers 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.

This year's march saw a sharp rise in the number of demonstrators, up from 15,000 in 2009. This year also saw a record number of French Catholic bishops supporting the march - 26 in all.

A dozen international delegations took part in the march, including a representative from the U.K. Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and Dolores Meehan, co-founder of the San Francisco Walk for Life.

"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," Meehan told the demonstrators.

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

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TAGS: France Paris March for Life legalization of abortion culture of Life Paris Marche pour la Vie

[01/19/2010]

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