45,000 Pro-Lifers Line the Streets of Paris, France During French March for Life

On January 25, France held their 10th annual March for Life in Paris to remember the thousands of lives lost in abortion. Remarkably, over 45,000 people attended the March, and the archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Barberin, came out to march and pray with the other attendees. On twitter he posted a picture of the March with a caption that read, À la marche pour la vie 2015, which means March for Life 2015!

One of the founders of the event, Cecile Edel, said, “Abortion is a license to kill, put into law under the guise of women’s liberation.” In France, abortion was made legal on January 17, 1975 through the Veil Law, which was named after the then-Health Minister, Simone Veil. In parliament, she gave a speech and said that it was her conviction as a woman that abortion should be legalized. A pro-abortion law – known as la Loi Veil – was passed the following year.

francemarch10

The Veil Law didn’t legalize all abortion in France; rather, it approved abortion through the 12th week of pregnancy in cases where the mother’s health was at risk. In those situations, an abortion required the approval of two physicians who believed that carrying the child to term would result in serious injury to the mother or severe disability to the child. Now, however, abortion is legal for any reason in France through the 12th week of pregnancy.

Additionally, since 2013 the French government has been reimbursing100% of abortion costs through social security. This law took effect after Socialist President Francois Hollande promised free abortions ahead of his election victory. Under previous law, French women were able to claim back between 70 and 80 percent of the costs of the abortion, which average between 200 and 450 euros depending on whether the abortion is surgical or involves the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug (mifepristone).

Unfortunately, even though France’s abortion laws are more favorable toward unborn children than the laws in the U.S., their current Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Marisol Touraine has made promoting abortion one of her top priorities. Touraine said, “Since 2013, the act is fully reimbursed by social security. Now, all acts associated with the abortion, such as ultrasounds or medical exams, will also be repaid.”

Click here to sign up for daily pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com

As LifeNews previously reported, in 2014 the French National Assembly reaffirmed their full support for legalized abortion by a vote of 143-7. The resolution confirms “the importance of the universal right of women to freely dispose of their body, in France, in Europe and around the world as an indispensable condition for the construction of gender equality and the advancement of society.”

Feed: