Thousands of People Flood the Streets of Berlin for the March for Life to Protest Abortion
Micaiah Bilger
Thousands of pro-lifers marched in Germany on Saturday to call for an end to abortion.
The Catholic News Agency reports about 7,500 pro-lifers participated in the German March for Life in Berlin. About 1,500 pro-abortion advocates staged a counter-protest during the march, according to local police reports.The Bundesverband Lebensrecht, a coalition of 13 pro-life groups in Germany, organized the peaceful march. The theme for 2016 was “No child is unsuitable.” Photos from the march showed the streets lined with people carrying signs, crosses, balloons and images of babies. “Be pro-life, not pro-killing” one sign said in English.
“With the Berlin march for life, we call the German society and politics to take action to really prevent and avoid abortion and to better help unplanned pregnant parents in need,” the pro-life coalition said in a statement online. “We are also deeply concerned about the silent increase of acceptance of euthanasia in Europe, as it is already being practiced again in some countries.”
Right to Life Association President Martin Lohmann noted that more pro-lifers came out for the march this year, including more Catholic bishops. About 5,000 people attended the march in 2013.
“Our movement for life is growing – and that is a good thing!” Lohmann told reporters.
Here’s more from CNA:
Several Protestant groups participated in or supported the event. However, the official Lutheran association of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia did not participate in the march, instead issuing a statement distancing itself from the event, and essentially declaring that it supported the “right of women to choose” – and while “recognizing the importance of advocating unborn life,” its positions were “not commensurate” with those of the March for Life.The March for Life in the United States gave a shout out to the German pro-lifers on Twitter, and posted a short video clip from the event.
Abortion is legal in Germany up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and later when there are serious risks to a woman’s physical or emotional health. A mandatory counseling appointment followed by a three-day waiting period are required before a woman can have an abortion.
In 2014, Human Life International reported approximately 1,000 unborn babies are killed every day in abortions in Germany and Austria.
