Thousands of Pro-Lifers Flood the Streets in Spain to Protest Abortion

International   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Mar 17, 2015   |   12:07PM   |   Madrid, Spain

In Madrid, thousands of pro-lifers gathered for the Every Life Matters march, which was organized by 40 pro-life groups and backed by 82 international organizations. The march was advertised with the slogan, “For Life, Woman and Maternity,” and had participants from 50 towns all over Spain in more than 200 buses and 500 volunteers.

At the end of the month, Parliament is scheduled to vote on a bill that would stop minors of ages 16 and 17 from having an abortion without parental permission. According to Latino Fox News, that would be the only modification of the current law that regulates voluntary abortion based solely on the length of pregnancy.

In 2010, Socialist leader, Rodriguez Zapatero, worked to pass a law that declared abortion as a “right” and he did all he could to promote abortion. The law also allowed 16- and 17-year old minors to receive abortions without parental consent.

Click here to sign up for daily pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com

The president of the Family Forum, Benigno Blanco, said the proposed legislative reform “leaves absolutely intact” the original regulation established by Rodriguez Zapatero, and does not truly modify it as the Popular Party promised. Additionally, Luis Carbonel, the president of the Catholic Parents and Family Confederation, said that abortion “can never be a right” and that he feels “betrayed” by the government.

As LifeNews previously reported, in September 2014 Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy went back on a promise made by his Popular Party to reverse legalized abortion through the first 14 weeks of pregnancy and up to 22 weeks if the baby is found to have “serious deformations.”

The Popular Party, which usually sides with the Roman Catholic Church on social issues, responded and said, “We will change the current legislation model relating to abortion in order to reinforce the protection of the right to life as well as female minors.” The text went on to say, “Motherhood must be protected and supported. We will defend a law protecting motherhood with measures helping pregnant women, in particular those in difficult situations.”

The failure of the pro-life legislation caused Spain’s Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, to resign from his position. When Mr. Gallardon was asked what he would do next he said, “I’m not leaving to take up any other political post. After being Mayor of Madrid, First Minister of Madrid and now Justice Minister, my political life is over.” The ProLife Alliance has welcomed the minister’s principled resignation but laments the failure to tighten abortion law in Spain.

spain7

spain8

spain9

Previously, the Justice Minister made pro-life statements and specifically commented on aborting disabled babies. He said “I do not understand why the unborn are unprotected, permitting them to be aborted, because of the fact that they have some kind of handicap or deformity,” he said. “It seems to me to be ethically inconceivable we have lived so long with this legislation, and I think that the same level of protection that is given to an unborn child without any type of handicap or deformity should be given to those that are verified as lacking some of the abilities that other unborn children have.”

Unfortunately, since 1985 Spain’s had over a million abortions and the city of Madrid has become known as the abortion capital since so many women travel there for abortion.