Secretary of the Spanish bishops' conference, Msgr. Juan Antonio Martinez Camino noted this week that the massive turnout at the pro-life march in Madrid last Saturday was a “vigorous expression” of “popular outcry in defense of life.”

According to various Spanish media outlets, Msgr. Martinez Camino said that the October 17 march “has shown that Spanish society is alive in its ethical perception of the basic principles of living together in peace.”

He went on to explain that the Spanish government’s proposal to change the country’s abortion laws “is dangerous for the legal system and for a society to live together in peace on the basis of true rights-based principles, not on principles of force.”

“True equality between human beings demands that we all be equal in the fundamental right to life,” Msgr. Martinez Camino noted, as human dignity “includes the intangibility of life as one of its fundamental elements.

“This is true for all human beings.”

The spokesman said he hoped the measure would not be approved by Congress as it would constitute a step backwards in the protection of the unborn and of motherhood.