Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 75(4) November 2025
Record-Breaking March for Life UK brings over Ten Thousand to London Streets in Powerful Display of Unity and Hope.
The March for Life this year was a huge success.
The following
press release was made by March for Life on 8th September
On Saturday 6th September, the streets of London bore witness to the largest March for Life UK in its history, with over ten thousand pro-life advocates gathering in a peaceful and joy-filled demonstration of support for the unborn and their parents. Marked by a striking presence of young people, families, and children, the event showcased a growing generational momentum within the UK’s pro-life movement despite the very different backgrounds of many there.
This year’s March was not only significant in scale but also in the profound
message of unity it sent across Christian denominations. Seven Roman Catholic
bishops, two CofE bishops, Orthodox clergy and laity, Evangelical pastors, and
Christian leaders from across the UK stood shoulder to shoulder in a powerful
show of solidarity. A special message of support from Pope Leo XIV was read to
the crowd, offering encouragement and blessings.
The
march had been preceded by a Pro-life Human Rights Summit featuring a
legal panel and live interviews with women impacted by abortion, sessions
for children of all ages and stalls from many pro-life organisations,
showcasing their work.
Keynote speeches were delivered by pro-life MP Carla Lockhart, Scottish midwife Sara Spencer (censored for her pro-life stance), March for Life UK co-director Isabel Vaughan-Spruce (currently under police investigation for silently praying near an abortion facility) and abortion survivor Josiah Presley. Each speech highlighted the personal and political cost of defending life, but also the hope and conviction that fuels this movement.
Josiah
Presley shared his deeply moving testimony of surviving an attempted
surgical abortion and being raised by loving adoptive parents. Presley,
once filled with bitterness, shared how an encounter with Jesus Christ at
16 changed his life, urging the crowd not to stop at speaking the truth,
but to act upon it.
Despite a background of tension with counter-protests, including vocal abortion-rights demonstrators and a large, disruptive pro-Palestinian protest leading to hundreds of arrests, the March for Life crowd remained peaceful, joyful, and resolute, a stark contrast noted by many onlookers.
Notable Quotes from the Day
Josiah Presley (Abortion Survivor) speech:
“Don’t just speak the
truth – find a way to act on that truth.”
MP
Carla Lockhart speech:
“If human rights mean anything they must be
consistent, they must apply to all. If we are to see change, we must each
play our part.”
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce speech:
“Priceless human beings or
worthless bits of tissue – What do you believe and more importantly, how
will you respond? Parents, politicians, pastors, police, medics, lawyers,
journalists and every single person here must make that choice. These two
worldviews cannot co-exist. They can’t both be right. Pick your side but
remember what they say – the fence belongs to Satan.”
Co-director Isabel Vaughan-Spruce (Co-director, March for Life
UK) reflection on the day:
“While
it was impressive to see such a strong crowd gathered, what pleased me
more was the individual stories I heard from attendees who told me their
pro-life plans because of what they’d experienced at the march – students
pledging to start pro-life societies at their universities or churchgoers
planning to hold pro-life coffee mornings at their churches to raise
awareness in their own communities – these are the people who will help
change the culture by passing on the truths they have heard today to
others.”
Ben Thatcher (Co-director, March for Life UK) refection on the
day:
“More and more people are recognising the reasonableness
and consistency behind the pro-life movement. For us to care about human
rights in any capacity we must start by valuing life itself and that means
the right to life of all – no one is too small, too young or too dependent
that their life is not valuable, and that right needs to be protected in
law.”
