Life: a change in mentality

On March 25, feast of the Annunciation of our Lord, Spain celebrates the Day of Life. For the occasion the Spanish Bishops’ Conference Subcommittee for the Family and Life released a message titled: “Yes to life, source of hope amidst of the crisis”. But the question of the defence of life is not the concern of the Church. In fact, the platform Yes to Life promoted a rally in Madrid scheduled for Sunday March 23 with the support of 504 organizations of civil society, coordinated by Spain’s Pro-Life federations. The beauty of the family. In their message for the Day, Spanish Bishops call upon “children, parents and grandparents” to say “yes to life”. “For Spain, for Europe, and for the rest of the world morally responsible openness to life is a social and economic richness”. “Great nations managed to overcome poverty also thanks to a large number of citizens and to their capabilities”. In their message, the Spanish bishops point out that low fertility rates are “a serious problem for rich societies”, and for this reason “proposing the beauty of marriage and of the family to the young generations is a social and economic imperative”. The Spanish Church equally underlines that families need “social and economic support”, but that “it is no sufficient”, since it requires “a change in mentality and lifestyle that entails the freedom of donating oneself to others, to husbands, wives, children, old people, and to the suffering ones”. This, the Spanish bishops said, is the teaching of Pope Francis, for whom “a society that abandons children and marginalizes old people severs its roots and darkens its future”. Whilst reiterating “the value and the dignity of human life, from conception to its natural termination”, the Spanish prelates invite the faithful to reflect on life as “a sign of hope”, calling for the recovery “of the greatness of the gift of maternity”. A further appeal is addressed against “certain ideologies that relentlessly seek to level out difference, dragging society into demographic, economic and moral collapse”. Finally, thinking about abortion, the Spanish Church underlines that “to pretend to solve problems by eliminating a human life is far from being a sign of progress”. The bishops’ message is accompanied by a poster with the picture of a child, surrounded by bad news: a symbolic way of emphasizing that life is hope. Authentic support measures. The rally of Sunday 23rd, when demonstrators will take the streets of Madrid, from Plaza de Cibeles to Puerta del Sol, is titled: “Yes to life. For life, women and maternity”. Its purpose is the defence and the reaffirmation of life as a fundamental human right. Inés Cuartero, spokesperson of the “Yes to life” platform, underlined that the demonstration “reaffirms our firm commitment in favour of life in all circumstances. In particular, in 2014 we underline the urgent need of concrete support measures for women, that will enable them to exert their freedom and the right to motherhood”. The Platform, Cuartero said, “will continue its pro-life commitment in order to respect the fundamental human right: the right to life”. “We will raise our voices to those who are turning a blind eye, thereby failing to assume a public commitment in defence of life”. Several cities involved. The spokesperson of the “Yes to Life” platform said that the purpose of “this year’s demonstration is the defence, the support and the protection of defenceless human life – as that of the newborn – along with that of pregnant mothers. A society doesn’t progress and is likely to be headed towards demographic suicide if it fails to protect the life of its citizens and to care for pregnant women, offering full support”. Other initiatives, in addition to the major gathering in Madrid, are planned in several Spanish cities. The purpose of the demonstration is thus to demand active and effective measures for the protection of maternity and of the family, a true support to pregnant women so they may exert their right to motherhood, a public commitment in favour of maternity and of life for the good of society as a whole”.