March
for Life 2017
Yesterday
I went on the March for Life in Birmingham, England. This was actually my first
one.
Since
my student days at university I had been definitely pro-life, and caught up in
not one or two scuffles between pro-life and pro-abortion groups on campus. The
pro-abortion campaigners always seemed to be characterized by enormous anger
and much vitriol. But their slogans and their snap responses to questions
seemed to never contain a rational argument. I was never convinced by them.
Frequently I was revolted and appalled by their tactics. Nothing about them
commended their ideas or ideological position.
This
student experience of more than 25 years ago seemed to be repeated again in the
March for Life yesterday. The pro-life marchers were sane and sensible people
wanting to witness peacefully to their considered and rational position. The
pro-abortion demonstrators wanted to stop us giving any witness at all. They
were prepared to go against principles of our democratic society in order to
stop us giving a public witness to what we believe and rationally argue is
true: that simply human life begins at the moment of conception and that
innocent life should not be terminated for any reason. The pro-abortion
demonstrators did not present a counter argument but asserted angrily a number
of irrational retorts, e.g. – “pro-life what a lie, you want women to die” and “get
your rosaries out of our ovaries.” First if we did manage to outlaw abortion it
would not result in women dying, it would result in women giving birth to
babies and thus more women being born. The deaths of women in the past due to
problems with attempted abortions and indeed other pre-natal problems were due
to lack of antibiotics and other modern medicine. The legalisation of abortion
has not caused less women to die, it is modern medicine that has done this. And
latterly the slogan about rosaries and ovaries is just preposterous! It is not
pro-lifers who advocate cutting women up, but pro-abortion activists.
What
really did impress me yesterday was first the wide cross-section of people from
all walks of life who were prepared to bear witness in public to their pro-life
beliefs. There were children with their families, young couples, students from
universities, pregnant women, and men and women of all ages. Secondly they did
this in a very peaceful and rational civilised manner. And thirdly, they did this
in a prayerful way. When the March was stopped by our opponents, and the police
had insufficient men to move them on, we waited and we prayed. Pro-life people were praying
the rosary together, they were singing Ave Maria, and Salve Regina. They got on
their knees to pray when one of our opponents fainted and went off with
paramedics. This was the powerful witness we bore. We were not mouthing vitriol
at our opponents, we were not venting anger at them, we were peacefully saying
we do not agree with terminating unborn children for they are innocent human
beings. Yes of course women should have rights over their own bodies, but their
unborn children’s bodies are not there’s to destroy.
Indeed
the whole day seemed like a day of prayer. We prayed the offices on the bus
together (the marvel of the universalis app on phones and tablets!), we prayed
the rosary on the bus, and in the march. We visited the relic image of Our Lady
of Guadalupe in the Cathedral, expressing our devotion and leaving our
petitions in her maternal care.
The
last thing to say was that it was a wonderful day to be together. I met lots of
people I knew but masses I didn’t - we were all joyful in one another’s
company. Contrary to what our opponents are saying on social media (that they
spoiled our day) the day was a very good one.
If
you have never been on the March for Life then I highly recommend it to you –
an important opportunity to witness to life, to pray and to be with friends.
