Politics
Tuesday January 22, 2008
French March for Life in Streets of Paris on Anniversary of Abortion Legalization
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
PARIS, January 22, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Up to 10,000 people marched in Paris last Sunday, January 19th in protest of the anniversary of the legalization of abortion, which occurred on the same date in 1975.
While police estimated that only 2,500 people showed up for the march, organizers claimed that around 10,000 attended. Substantial underestimation of the actual size of crowds at pro-life events seems to be the rule for police and media in most of the Western world.
The Paris March for Life began in the Plaza of the Republic and ended next to the National Opera in the middle of the city. The event was attended not only by French citizens but by Britons, Germans, Italians, and Austrians, as well as people of other countries.
The slogan of the march was "Thirty Years is Enough". Participants also held signs that read "Abortion Never Again", "Mama, Save Me, Let Me Live", and "The Family: the Foundation of the Nation".
The French news blog Christian Journal noted that the march was remarkable because in France, "the debate over abortion is almost prohibited."
The Christian Journal added that the French Catholic bishops were nowhere to be seen. "And the bishops, who should be on the front lines, maintain a low profile. Six among them (over 200) have given their support, but none of them were in the March."
One French politician, Bruno Gollnisch of the National Front, reportedly told the blog e-deo during the march that, "It's a moral issue, but it's also an issue of national importance, because France is in the process of committing suicide." He added that "If the French kill their children and cause others to come in and replace them, they forfeit their right to live freely and independently in the land of their ancestors."
France has suffered a steep decline in its birthrate, which is below replacement level, and an aging population. Increasingly, however, the country is making efforts to encourage larger families, and the birthrate has risen somewhat (see previous LifeSiteNews coverage at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06033002.html).
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- 32 States Saw Personhood Initiatives in 2009 - Movement Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary
- Call for Reform of U.S. Bishops' CCHD Bolstered by New Evidence
- New Zealand Study Finds Abortion Increases Risk of Mental Health Problems
- Commentary on Nov. 5 News
- United Nations Report Pushes for Right to Sex-Change Operations
- Never Mind: Judge Yanks 15-Year-Delayed Illinois Parental Notice Law Back Into Legal Limbo
- Confusion about Euthanasia Must be Dispelled Says Prominent Anti-Euthanasia Activist
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to State's Homosexual Partnership Law
- Courageous Pro-Life Former MP Gus Mitges Passes Away
- Ad Depicting Nude Couple Having Sex Not Pornographic: UK Advertising Standards Authority
- Pro-Life Lawmakers Condemn 'Sham' Health Bill Abortion Compromise
- Conservative Pro-Life, Pro-Family Dark Horse in NY 23 Race Defeated in Close Race
- No British Referendum on Lisbon Treaty: Tory Leader
- Letters to the Editor - Nun Abortion Clinic Escort
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- Mother Charged in Murder of Her Autistic Son
- USCCB Launches All-Out Campaign against Abortion-Funding Healthcare
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- Extreme Religious Left Furious over Rome's Anglican Offer
- Canadian MP Launches Petition to Stop Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood
- Planned Parenthood's President Lashes Out at USCCB
- "Death Panels" Return: House Bill Has Potential Physician-Assisted Suicide Loophole
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.