By Gibbons J. Cooney
Special to California Catholic Daily
In a dramatic display of the international solidarity of the pro-life movement, Dolores Meehan, co-founder of San Francisco’s Walk for Life West Coast, will be a keynote speaker at the Sixth Annual Marche Pour Le Respect de la Vie -- the “Paris March for Life.” The Marche Pour Le Respect de la Vie will take place on January 17, starting at the Place de République in Paris.
Since its beginning in 2005, the Paris March has become a rallying point for pro-lifers from all over Europe. In addition to groups from France, it attracts delegations from Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland and now the United States. Last year’s Marche drew 15,000 -- 20,000 participants.
In 2005, French pro-life organizations united to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1975 French law legalizing abortion under the slogan, “30 years is enough!” The first Marche was so successful that it has become an annual event. Non-denominational and non-partisan, the Marche brings together Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and secular organizations who share a common platform: the defense of every human life. This year, two new organizations have joined: the fast-growing Etudiants pro-vie (Pro-Life Students), a movement inspired by the American “Students for Life,” which has opened chapters in many French universities; and Soignants Porteurs d’Esperance, a group of pro-life members of the medical professions.
Ms. Meehan told California Catholic Daily: “I’m delighted to be offered the opportunity to speak at the Marche. I’m also intrigued by the similarities between our two events. Both the Marche and the Walk for Life West Coast began in 2005, both take place in cities with a strong history of radical and countercultural action, both draw impressive numbers of young people, and both recognize that without compassion and justice their can be no common good or true Culture of Life.”
The mission statement of the Marche Pour Le Respect de la Vie says: “French pro-lifers will call upon their countrymen to reflect upon the disastrous result of 35 years of legal abortion: the unspeakable sufferings of millions of women, and the blatant injustice towards millions of our unborn brothers and sisters. Despite having one of the very highest contraception rates in the world, France today has the second highest abortion rate in Western Europe, second only to Sweden – a situation even the sponsor of France’s 1975 abortion legalization law, Simone Veil, has deemed ‘distressing.’…The way forward is one of compassion and justice: compassion by providing expectant mothers with the real choice, that of preserving their unborn life; and justice with the comprehensive abolition of abortion.”
Ms. Meehan will return to San Francisco in time for the 2010 Walk for Life West Coast, to be held on Saturday, January 23. Eight Catholic Bishops will attend the San Francisco Walk. Speakers will include Lila Rose of Live Action and former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson.
For more about the Marche Pour Le Respect de la Vie (select “In English), Click Here. http://enmarchepourlavie.info/
For more information about Walk for Life West Coast, Click Here. http://www.walkforlifewc.com/index.htm
