Thousands of people participated on Saturday, May 3 in a new edition of the march for life, held in Mexico City to commemorate the 18 years since abortion was decriminalized in the capital of the country.
The mobilization, organized by the Association steps for life along with other institutions, started from the monument to the revolution and toured more than two kilometers until he reached the city congress.
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Young people, older adults and whole families walked between banners and slogans who regretted the lack of comprehensive help policies for pregnant women. They also denounced what they considered as a negative balance of almost two decades of legalization of abortion.
From April 2007, abortion is legal in Mexico City until week 12, making it the country’s first entity to adopt this measure. Since then, another 22 states have decriminalized abortion, with a remarkable impulse during the six -year period of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–2024), of the Morena political party.
Currently, Claudia Sheinbaum, also from Morena, continues to promote this same policy.
According to the organization’s organization for life, the accumulation of these changes has turned out that “More than 292,000 Mexican lives never saw the light”.
“Abortion has not solved anything”
During the act in front of Congress, a manifesto was read in which it was stated that “abortion has not solved anything.”
Pilar Rebollo, outgoing leader of steps for life, warned that decriminalization, far from solving problems, “has left many wounds, has revictimized the pregnant woman, and has deprived Mexico of a whole generation.”
In his speech he also denounced that there is “a manipulation of figures that invisible both aborted children and injured mothers”, in addition to criticizing “the lack of comprehensive policies that really accompany the woman” and “the imposition of an agenda that converts death into a right and margina that does not produce, doing business with the most vulnerable.”
“And meanwhile, Mexico bleeds,” he added.
“Today we remember the absent generation and hug each mother who has suffered in silence. But we also proclaim with hope that every heart beats is a promise, and every step taken today can change the story,” said Rebollo.
6 demands to promote life
During the event, Luisa Argueta, national march coordinator, who presented a series of demands aimed at different sectors also intervened.
Politicians demanded “a constitutional reform that recognizes the right to life from conception to natural death”, as well as public policies assigning a budget “to motherhood, adoption and palliative care, not lethal solutions.”
He also asked to restore public reports on abortion in Mexico City and pointed out the need for each State to publish “real and verifiable figures on abortions, homicides and disappearances.”
He also claimed the “respect and protection of conscientious objection for medical staff that saves lives.”
Argueta also addressed society, asking to abandon “the archaic idea” that motherhood is only the responsibility of the woman, and stressed that “man and woman are needed to make decisions and responsibilities.”
Finally, he summoned an “active citizen participation” that implies “that we accompany, donate, adopt, watch and vote for life.”
Diego López Colín
I am a graduate of journalism at the Carlos Septién García school with experience of religious institutional communication. Since 2016 I write for digital media and, since 2018, I report the most important news about the Catholic event in Mexico for the Ewtn news channel. ACI Press correspondent in Mexico since 2023.