March for Life in Madrid, Spain
13-MARCH-23 • ALL •
On Sunday, March 12th, the March for Life (Yes to Life) was held in Madrid, convened by more than 200 pro-life associations from all over Spain. The march ran at noon at the main avenue in Madrid, where a mobile stage had been set up.
This year it far exceeded the participation of 2022, reaching some 50,000 people according to the organization (23,000 according to the Government Delegation).
During the act, a manifesto for Life was read, two rescued mothers offered their life testimonies (one for the Saint John Paul II Rescuers, and another for 40 Days for Life in Madrid), and a baby's hearbeat in the womb sound was offered live over the public address system.
There was also music and varied testimonies, all on a spring day, sunny and warm weather. Hundreds of people also came by bus from all over Spain. Volunteers from 40 Days for Life from Madrid, Badajoz, Valladolid, Alicante and Burgos also attended.
40 Days for Life provided the testimony of Marita, a saved mother during last year campaign, who was carrying her son Santiago, just a few months old, a rescue in front of the Dator abortion facility in Madrid. "It's the best thing that could have happened to me," she said, referring to Santiago who was looking at what was happening around her with surprise and great calm. Marita had been left alone with her pregnancy when her partner decided to ignore their child, but even with the abortion appointment paper in her hands, she crossed the road to speak with the 40 Days for Life volunteers in prayer that morning and then she knew that she could get all the help she needed to keep her child. "I wasn't able to kill my son," she said.
As in all the other calls for this event, there were no incidents, no violence, no banners with aggressive messages, and no affected street furniture.
The event was covered by some media, including the public broadcasting TV channel TVE, which issued a very brief note in the 3:00 p.m. edition.
The list of the participating associations is in https://sialavida.es/asociaciones-participantes/