Thousands of pro-life advocates filled the streets of central London on Saturday.
Several thousand protesters participated in the annual March for Life, pursuing a route from the Emmanuel Centre in London to Trafalgar Square and finishing with a series of speeches in Parliament Square.
Activists from groups such as Antifa and the Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM) launched counterprotests throughout the event, which were contained by a strong police presence.
The current policy landscape for debate on abortion laws in the UK has reached a critical juncture, as abortion advocates once again push for legalising late-stage abortion. The last time an amendment was tabled on the issue was in 2021, when MPs voted not to decriminalise abortion up to birth.
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK, expressed gratitude to the March For Life UK team, praising their efforts in organising the event in London.
Speaking to The Epoch Times via text, Ms. Robinson underscored the critical juncture facing the UK, with abortion advocates pushing for more permissive laws, even up to birth.
“This proposal is completely out of line with where women stand on the issue,” she said, citing recent polling data from Savanta ComRes, which claims that only 1 percent of women in Great Britain supported extending abortion time limits beyond 24 weeks, with another 1 percent favouring birth.
She highlighted that according to the same poll, “70 percent of women who favoured a reduction in time limits.”
Ms. Robinson emphasised that the demonstrators were voicing their opposition to such proposals and advocating for the dignity and rights of all individuals, from conception to natural death.
Protestors, advocating for abortion up to birth, held their own counterprotest outside the Emmanuel Centre. Feminist groups from South America and Poland took part in speeches alongside SWARM and London Antifa.
During one lull a raucous noise of drums and chants swelled, there was a sombre tone as one speaker passionately told the hundred or so gathered that they felt “The tide” was “turning against us.”
Pointing to the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, another speaker used the number of people gathered at the March For Life (which was larger than last year’s turnout), as an indicator that there was momentum beginning to grow on the pro-life side of the debate.
Speaking to The Epoch Times at the rally, David Kurten, leader of the Heritage Party and former member of the Greater London Assembly, lent his support to the March for Life in London, advocating for the right to life of unborn children.
Mr. Kurten highlighted his party’s socially conservative stance and emphasised the importance of providing a pro-life political choice in the UK. He expressed deep concern over the high number of abortions, totaling 230,000 annually in the country, far surpassing the initial promises made when abortion was legalised in 1967.
Noting the prevalence of abortion, with one in four pregnancies ending in the termination of a baby, Mr. Kurten described it as a “horrific” reality that “needs to stop.”
Stressing the significance of the March for Life as a platform for pro-life individuals to unite and raise awareness in the UK, Mr. Kurten added that the pro-life movement on this side of the channel often receives less media coverage than in the United States.
He acknowledged the limited pro-life representation in Westminster and outlined his mission to build the Heritage Party as a viable alternative that could potentially impact government policy.
Mr. Kurten’s legislative goals include repealing the 1967 Abortion Act, which effectively legalised abortion, and overturning abortion in Northern Ireland, which he said was, “Imposed on Northern Ireland against the will of the people.”
While several of the groups present had a Christian ethos, Christina Finaldi, the co-founder of a new secular group called Abortion Resistance, told The Epoch Times that they were seeing significant growth in the number of young people who disagree with abortion on secular grounds.
She added that her group has launched monthly gatherings aimed at engaging young people and promoting a non-religious pro-life message.
The group emphasises that the pro-life stance is based on biology: “Unborn babies not being killed is not a religious problem; it’s biology that they are human,” Mrs. Finaldi said.
Within the Emmanuel Centre, The Epoch Times also spoke to Lois McLatchie Miller of the pro-free-speech legal firm, Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF UK).
She expressed her frustration with the narrative that abortion is empowering for women, stating, “We’re tired of the lies that abortion is empowering.”
She emphasised ADF’s commitment to supporting both lives in every pregnancy and highlighted the detrimental impact of society’s current approach on men, women, and children.
Regarding the March for Life, Mrs. McLatchie Miller noted: “So many young people turned out to raise their voices on this issue,” emphasising that abortion affects a significant number of individuals and stating, “We’re tired of being told that this is good for us.”
Mrs. McLatchie Miller discussed ADF’s involvement in cases related to freedom of speech within the pro-life movement, highlighting the trend of censorship and expressing disappointment in the government’s failure to protect free speech.
She called for more media coverage of the abortion debate and hoped that events like the March for Life would garner the attention she feels they deserve.
Significantly, there was a proliferation of young people on the pro-life side of the march, including hundreds of young women, many of whom led or were volunteering with the organisations represented at the event.
One of these, Catherine Mockler, representing the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), stressed their mission to make abortion “unthinkable” while highlighting the statistic that: “Every day in the UK, more than 550 babies are killed as a result of abortion.”
Ms. Mockler emphasised the importance of speaking for the voiceless and innocent.
Regarding youth engagement, she noted, “Pro-life people exist,” and shared that young individuals appreciated the support for their pro-life views and the chance to connect through youth socials.
Ms Mockler expressed concern over media bias and censorship, urging fair representation and respect for free speech: “It’s only fair that the media give us a platform and respect our right to free speech.”
She commended the diverse representation at the event and the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, hoping for continued momentum to “speak up for the unborn child.”
A large contingent of students were also present. Madeline Page, CEO of the Alliance of Pro-Life Students, highlighted to The Epoch Times that their mission to support the unborn highlighted the scientific consensus: “Life starts from conception.”
She noted a growing interest among students in the pro-life movement, fuelled by developments in the United States, and a desire to express their beliefs and advocate for the right to life.
