'Vigils for life' to be held in Spain

Madrid, Spain, Jul 1, 2011 / 16:03 pm

More than 100 “vigils for life” will be held in Spain to call for a reversal of the country’s abortion law.

The vigils will take place July 1-5. “Many thousands of people” in 36 provinces in Spain are expected to join together in calling for the overturning of the law and for new laws that respect life from conception to natural death, said the spokesman for the organization Right to Life in Spain, Gador Joya Verde.

The law was passed nearly one year ago on July 5, 2010.

Joya added that the organization is calling for a national strategy to help women who want to give their children up for adoption rather than have an abortion.

He noted that Right to Life not only expresses its indignation over the problem of abortion but also proposes solutions to help women in crisis pregnancies, including a new guide for pregnant women titled, “Congratulations, Mom.”

The spokesman for Gynecologists for the Right to Life, Sonsoles Alonso, said the guide includes instructions for young pregnant women on how to request for financial assistance from the government, which, she said, is often “scarce.”

Alonso said the guide will be distributed to doctors and health care workers so they can provide it to their patients.

Joya noted that pro-life leaders have also called on the leader of Spain’s Popular Party, Mariano Rajoy, to sign a pledge promising to overturn the Law on Abortion if he is elected president.