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On Sunday, the 11th pro-life march will take place in Paris, a few days before the draft bill on the extension of the crime of obstruction to abortion is brought back to the National Assembly.
The 11th March for Life marks the union "of the ancients and moderns", both around thirty years old.
The march takes it name from "Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns", a literary debate that raged in 17th century France and England, according to its spokespeople Nicolas Sévillia, also general secretary for the Fondation Jérôme-Lejeune , and Émile Duport, from the group Les Survivants (the Survivors).
This year, a younger group will be gathering.
Traditional organizational groups – Choisir la vie (Choose Life), Renaissance catholique (Catholic Renaissance) and the Fondation Jérôme-Lejeune, taking part for the third time – are now joined by a new generation of activists who are highly skilled in digital communication.
They have come up with punchy slogans: Les Survivants and the Éveilleurs d'espérance (Raisers of Hope). The former runs several anti-abortion websites. The most well-known, AfterBaiz, has found itself in the middle of debates surrounding the extension of the crime of obstruction of abortion (see La Croix, 1 December 2016).
The Éveilleurs d'espérance formed around the fringes of "La manif pour tous" (rally against same-sex marriage).
Forty years after the 1975 abortion law, opposition to the social policy of the present government has united a new generation of pro-life activists. "We don't want to go back on the 1975 law," said Duport. "Our generation accepts it because we all know women in our circles who have had abortions. But what we are fighting is the incredible injustice of not being allowed the right to live."
This election year, the March for Life will present concrete political demands. "We want several of the measures put in place under François Hollande's term to be reviewed," stated Sévillia.
She continued: "We want the notion of distress and the period of reflection before an abortion to be reinstated and for the free and anonymous distribution of the morning-after pill in high school health centers to be abolished."
The March for Life intends to put pressure on the debate on the extension of the crime of obstruction which will be examined in a joint commission at the National Assembly next Wednesday.
It will then be debated in session straight after. This is also why Alliance Vita will be joining their ranks in the march, while Associations familiales catholiques (AFC – Catholic Family Associations), a long-term adherent, will be marching this year to "defend freedom of thought".
However, the movement does not plan on giving voting advice. "That is not our role. And we know very well that no candidate wants to take a position on such a divisive and painful issue," Sévillia said.
The March for Life will instead continue to employ its well-established method of taking to the streets. "We will not accept that a tragedy becomes a fundamental right," proclaimed the organizers.
With their slogan "Abortion Affects All", they seek to raise awareness among their French compatriots. "It is too easy for women to be isolated when facing this decision. Parents, husbands and partners and all citizens should feel concerned," Duport said.
He added: "Pro-life activists should move beyond their position as critics and should offer concrete solutions to women. Many of them turn to abortion because they haven't found the help that would allow them to keep their child."
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