Some twenty years ago, we took part in one of the first pro-life marches in the United Kingdom. Despite our best efforts to rally pro-lifers, in the end, only several hundred marched on Parliament to defend the dignity of human life. We were joined by no bishops and only a couple of priests. In the years following, the number of attendees grew only slowly.
It is perhaps not surprising, in view of this paltry showing, which was completely ignored by the media, that the dignity of human life has come under increasing attack in the U.K. These days, the Parliament is moving to loosen the restrictions on abortion and is even debating the legalization of euthanasia. You can even be arrested and imprisoned for silently praying on the street if you are close to an abortion center.
At the same time, at long last, it appears that the British people are finally waking up. That is the lesson we draw from the most recent March for Life, which saw the largest crowd ever. Well over 10,000 people gathered in London under the September sun to publicly demand protection for the unborn. Like previous marches, this one began near Westminster Cathedral and concluded a few meters from Parliament.
Among the attendees were not just families, young people, and religious men and women, but also many priests and even seven (!) Catholic bishops. The Vatican also took notice of the event. Pope Leo XIV sent a message encouraging “respect for the dignity of every person, from the unborn to the elderly.” Through the Apostolic Nuncio, the Pope reaffirmed that it is the duty of political leaders “to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies, investing in the family and respecting the dignity of every person.” The Pontiff imparted his apostolic blessing and asked for abundant divine graces for the participants, reminding them that the defense of the unborn, the most vulnerable, is the foundation of a true culture of peace.
The march was, above all, a joyous occasion, with the marchers accompanied by bagpipes and holding banners with slogans like: “Human Rights Begin at Conception,” “Life From Conception No Exception,” and “Abortion Stops a Beating Heart.”
The director of March for Life UK, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, told the National Catholic Register:
“It’s been absolutely fantastic, by far the biggest march yet with amazing support in so many ways. We’ve seen not just a rise in numbers but more younger people, more religious leaders, more people from all walks of life, and people who have no religious beliefs. We’ve just seen it growing in every corner, it’s fantastic, really.”
Bishop David Waller, Ordinary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, emphasized that “those who come to this march already live in the truth that human life is sacred. And if the unborn child is not considered sacred, everything else collapses.”
An Anti-Life Parliament in the European Style
In June, the House of Commons approved an assisted-suicide bill as well as an amendment that eliminates criminal liability for women who have abortions at any stage of pregnancy, even up to birth. The practical effect of this measure is to enable abortion up to birth. Both measures must still pass the House of Lords, and pro-lifers are actively opposing it.
The culture of death is advancing in the European Parliament as well, seeking to use EU funds to promote the abortion agenda and its practice in European countries. This is not permitted under current EU regulations, but France, led by President Macron, is seeking to change this. Macron is also working to have abortion included as a human right in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as France itself did last year.
This is not just a battle for Europe’s soul, but for its very survival.
Europe is facing a demographic winter that is accelerating with each passing year. This not only threatens pensions as fewer workers struggle to support more wealthy retirees, it undermines education as elementary schools across many regions close because of declining numbers of children. Add to this an epidemic of loneliness among aging, abandoned Europeans, which is reaching pandemic levels.
It is astonishing that so many either fail to see, or deliberately ignore, the connection between abortion and these looming problems. How could anyone, seeing the direction the continent is heading, continue to cling to such a deadly practice. In largely abandoning Christianity Europe first lost its soul. Now it is losing its very reason in an act tantamount to collective suicide.
Catholic Youth Reject the Anti-Life Agenda
Yet there are many in Europe and in the U.K., who continue to believe, as the London march demonstrated. Father Martin Boland, from the Diocese of Brentwood, highlighted the strong presence of young people at the march:
“It encourages me to see the young reflecting more deeply on these issues. I wish more priests would invite their parishes to take part.”
The event included moving testimonies from pro-lifers, including Josiah Presley from Oklahoma, who survived a surgical abortion but was left with a crippled arm:
“At 16 I found Christ and understood my value and dignity. It is not enough to speak the truth; we must act,” he said.
In a panel titled “Human Rights in the Dark: What Women Aren’t Told,” a young woman named Natalia recounted how she was pressured into having an abortion in 2020 after three visits to a clinic. She later found comfort in Rachel’s Vineyard ministry and today is a mother.
Another powerful testimony came from Suzanne, an American whose doctors pressured her to abort at 22 weeks after diagnosing anomalies in her daughter. She rejected their advice and gave birth to Rachel Mary at 26 weeks. Today Rachel is a healthy young woman who accompanied her mother at the march.
“Abortion is not health care. No doctor should ever speak that word,” Suzanne stated.
