Do not trivialize abortion ” “

France took the streets again; this time in defence of life and to voice the stand of pro-life associations. On January 20 the national Assembly started analyzing a draft bill on “equality between men and women” which envisages significant amendments to the regulation on pregnancy interruption in force in France since 1975. Thousands of people rallied in the streets of Paris on January 19. They wore the colours of the Spanish flag – red and yellow – to honor the Rajoy government which stipulated restrictions to the abortion bill adopted in 2010 by the Zapatero government, “which showed Europe that there’s no going back”. According to the organizers of the “Marche pour la vie”, which reached this year its ninth edition, 40 000 took part in the march, which saw the presence of several bishops such as the archbishop of Avignon, Jean-Pierre Cattenoz, and Msgr. Marc Aillet, bishop of Bayonne. The march for life was welcomed also by Pope Francis, who sent his blessing to demonstrators through a message to the apostolic nuncio of France. The draft bill. France’s national assembly thus launched a debate on a draft bill that provides for the adoption of two amendments: the first removes the notion of “state of difficulty” of women (“détresse”) resorting to abortion. According to the new proposal, this term would be replaced with a more neutral expression stating that abortion can be requested by women “who don’t want to stay pregnant”. The other provision stipulates harsher sanctions to whoever seeks to prevent women from resorting to abortion by not conveying information on voluntary pregnancy interruption with punishments that includes imprisonment of up to two years and 30 thousand euro fines. According to the government, the amendments would be needed to adjust the law in force to the reality of the practice of abortion in France. Vallaud-Najat Belkacem, Minister for the rights of women and government spokesman, recalled that 35 per cent of French women resorted to voluntary termination of pregnancy in the course of their lives and that abortions performed in a year in France were 210 thousand compared to 810 Thousand births. The voice of associations. These “numbers” prompted the intervention of pro-life associations and bishops. In a statement released at the end of the Marche pour la vie, pro-life associations call for the immediate revocation of the two criticised amendments to the draft bill up for parliamentary debate. They equally demand that “public authorities acknowledge the tragic reality of abortion and implement measures of support to pregnant women in difficulty who wish to stay pregnant”. Commenting the success of the initiative attended by thousands of demonstrators and delegations from all over Europe, the spokesperson of the march, Cécile Edel, said: “In the conflict opposing the right of the conceived child and women’s rights, the conceived and yet unborn child is finally at the centre of public attention. Policymakers must look at the facts: there are far too many abortions in France. The example of Spain is a path for progress”. The word to the bishops. Over the past days also the “small parliament” of French bishops deplored “the deep transformation” of legislation on abortion under discussion in France. “I think – said Msgr. Georges Pontier, archbishop of Marseilles – that this project for a modification of the law on voluntary pregnancy interruption, far from enabling women to feel less lonely before their responsibilities regarding a new life, encourages women not to raise questions on the elimination of a being they carry in their wombs”. He added: “Abortion is never a trivial act. Abortion does not leave unscathed, it is not the elimination of a cluster of cells. And the pregnant woman knows she is carrying a human life in her womb”.