Up to ten thousand pro-life men and women gathered peacefully in London on Saturday at the annual March for Life, also attended by many SPUC supporters from around the UK.
This year’s March for Life, titled “Abortion isn’t healthcare”, saw thousands of pro-lifers of all ages and faiths come together on 7 September in defence of unborn children and their mothers.
The 2024 event follows the release of data showing that there were over 250,000 abortions in England and Wales in 2022, a record high since the implementation of the 1967 Abortion Act.
Marchers were nonetheless in a buoyant and hopeful mood as they proceeded from the Emmanuel Centre to Parliament Square in the heart of Westminster. Many people chanted and united in song as they held placards that read messages like “Making abortion unthinkable”.
Clergy and religious leaders were in attendance, including Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Catholic Bishop for Life Issues. SPUC staff were also present, engaging with the public as well as marching with supporters.
Guest speakers testified to the truth about abortion opposite the Houses of Parliament. Speaking on stage, former-abortionist Dr Haywood Robinson said: “As a retired family physician who practiced medicine for 40 years, I know what real healthcare is, and I assure you, abortion – the killing of our children – is not healthcare.”
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who co-organised the event, told assembled pro-lifers: “We’re marching because women, and their babies, deserve far better than abortion.
“It’s clear that abortion is not healthcare… unborn children are not a disease to get rid of, but are humans, who should be treated with respect and equality.”
Last month, Vaughan-Spruce received a £13k payout and an apology from the police who wrongfully arrested her for praying silently outside an abortion facility in Birmingham.
The Home Office is expected to announce whether it will ban silent prayer within 150 metres of abortion facilities in England and Wales. A similar buffer zones law outlawing all forms of prayer near Scottish abortion facilities comes into effect on 24 September.
Love speaks truth to pro-abortion power
SPUC’s Michael Robinson, Executive Director (Public Affairs and Legal Services), said: “Despite the challenges that pro-life men and women face today, including the threat to their free speech and right to assembly, this year’s March for Life demonstrated their resilience in the face of state suppression, as well as their determination to stand for life.
“Such events allow pro-lifers of all ages and backgrounds to come together peacefully to give a voice to the unborn. This was a wonderful event that spoke truth to pro-abortion power.
“It’s important to reassert the vital truth that abortion is not healthcare but the deliberate killing of an unborn child. Contrary to the claims of the abortion industry and its apologists, women also suffer, and the attempt to shut shown pro-life speech and action shows how far the pro-abortion lobby is prepared to go to deny women true choice.
“Ultimately, it’s the truth that these ideologues fear the most. Every voice that speaks out in defence of life strikes a blow against the lie that abortion is healthcare and does no harm.”