(LifeSiteNews) — A nationwide march in defense of women and life was hosted October 9 across Mexico that included more than 1 million participants.
The organization leading the event, In Favor of Women and Life, promoted marches throughout the country to send “a message of hope in the face of the culture of discarding and death.”
“We must all unite and find the strength to trust others again, show solidarity again and always appreciate and defend life, with special sensitivity to women and the children they carry in their wombs,” the website states in a promotion of the march. “It is necessary to act in favor of women and life.”
Although many marches were held in different parts of the country, roughly 200,000 participants attended the march in Mexico City, according to Catholic News Agency (CNA). The march concluded at the Angel of Independence, a statue standing in the busy city to symbolize national independence. The event included a manifesto reading that outlined four courses of action to take to support women and the unborn.
Participants called for laws that would aid pregnant women facing difficult situations and policies to promote “peace and unity for all, especially within the family.” CNA also reported that the need for “mutual trust” was emphasized “so that we can live together in peace and harmony, without violence.” Another demand was for the protection of the unborn and children regardless of “the degree of development” or any “health conditions.”
The overarching goal of the In Favor of Women and Life, which is supported by more than a thousand groups in Mexico, is to “bring together the largest possible number of people in a national march in Mexico City to express our commitment to the dignity of the person, of women and the defense of life.”
Three specific goals are outlined on the group’s website, the first being an effort to “unite many people and groups that are active” and who are “in favor of human dignity, women and life, respecting the identity and action of each of them.”
Second, the group strives for continued promotion of pro-life and pro-woman efforts while “address[ing] the causes that lead us to think about abortion.” The third and final targeted goal is to “make society aware of the roots and complexity involved in the issue of abortion, through a broad, serious and deep reflection from all sectors.”
Mexico, which once had legislation making abortion illegal in all circumstances, has lessened its restrictions considerably over the past few years. In 2019, abortion was legal in cases of rape. However, a 2021 ruling declared that abortion on demand was no longer illegal. Since then, individual states have had the capacity to determine what limitations, if any, are put into place surrounding the practice of killing the unborn.
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