“Listen to my heartbeat”: 23,000 marched for life in Madrid

Despite the liberal abortion law and a political context with not much debate, many Spaniards expressed their pro-life position in “Yes to Life!” march on 12 March.

The newest abortion law (which allows teenagers aged 16 end the pregnancy without parental permission) passed by the parliament in 2022, has only has helped to revive the voice of those defending the life of the unborn. The suggestion in Castilla y León (a region with a conservative government) that mothers could be offered to listen to the heartbeat of the child before taking a final decision on their pregnancies also caused a national controversy in January.

Now, thousands of pro-life citizens took the street in Madrid only days after the feminist marches of 8 March, in which the demand for more reproductive rights for women were much mentioned.  

The march for life on Sunday gathered 23,000 people, according to the police, and was organised by a federation of 500 pro-life associations calling to “show the greatness of the culture of life”, which is “generous, welcoming, constructive, joyful, that heals wounds and that does not give up”.

The green colour of balloons and clothes expressed the “hope” the participants. In a festive mood, many held signs like “Life is a gift”, “Listen to my heartbeat - it tells you I’m alive” or “Human rights begin in the mother’s womb”.

“We say a strong ‘yes to life’, which is urgently needed for the most innocent and weakest - whose life is considered a right to be taken away - for mothers who need help in their pregnancy, for those who need special care at any time of their lives, for all”, said the chair of the organisation, Alicia Latorre, to newspaper ABC.

Another spokesperson added: “Today is the day when the whole of Spain raises its voice for those who have no voice (…) We are highlighting the beautiful, the good and the truth: life, the family, motherhood. Young people from all over Spain are showing that we are a great majority who defend life in all its phases”.

The gathering also served to oppose the  Spanish euthanasia law of 2020, asking the government to offer better solutions to patients suffering long-term diseases.

Between 90,000 and 100,000 unborn chilren are aborted every year in Spain.

Personal testimonies and a music closed the day.

Among the evangelical organisations participating in the march was Aesvida.

¡Hoy miles de personas de toda España salimos a las calles de Madrid para defender y celebrar la vida en la marcha @Sialavida_Es! #SiALaVida pic.twitter.com/QsL5g3ClGd

— AESVIDA (@aesvida_org) March 12, 2023