Hundreds of Spanish pro-life groups mobilize for march

Madrid, Spain, Feb 22, 2012 / 16:03 pm

Around 400 civic groups in Spain are joining together to support a pro-life demonstration set for March 24 in downtown Madrid.

Alicia Latorre, director of the Spanish Federation of Pro-life Associations, said many organizations have been working hard for years in Spain to defend human life “in a thousand different ways.”

“Each day there are more and more fronts being opened, and each day we are more convinced that this cause is worth it, as evil is only overcome with the effort and unity of all,” she told Europa Press on Feb. 21. 

The organization “Si a la Vida” (“Yes to Life”) has called for the massive demonstration to take place to commemorate the International Day of the Unborn Child, which is celebrated on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

Rallies will be taking place across Spain, Latorre added, “so that everyone will have a place nearby where they can go.”

The main event will take place at the Puerta del Sol in downtown Madrid and will be led by popular Spanish actor and television host Miguel Angel Tobias.

Latorre said pro-life organizations in Spain are committed to continue battling to ensure that “the right to life and the dignity of man in every stage of life is recognized and ensured not only in the law but also in society itself.”

On the new administration in Spain and its announcement that the country’s law on abortion would be reformed, Latorre said she was “pleased” at “any step in the right direction.” However, she pointed out, the “message is going to change depending on which political party is in power.”

“Our laws must completely ensure the right to life, and this is still not the case,” she continued.  For this reason, Spaniards must demand laws that guarantee human life “from its beginning to its natural end, in any circumstances.”

Miguel Angel Tobias said the gathering will be an “non-confessional and non-political event” open to everyone to celebrate life as something “sacred.”  He said numerous celebrities and athletes would be participating in the demonstration, including pop star Nan Daconte, who is seven months pregnant.

“Si a la Vida” organizers say they hope to make the event an annual occurrence to demand respect for human life and the right to life as the first of all human rights.