Standing for Life in the Shadow of Parliament: A Day of Witness and Resolve
On Saturday 6th September 2025 March for Life UK came to London for our annual march through Westminster culminating outside the Houses of Parliament. The theme this year: human rights for all humans!
In-keeping with the theme, the morning saw a pro-life human rights summit held in the auditorium of the Emmanuel Centre as well as stalls from all the prolife organisations and sessions for children. As in previous years, speakers at the summit struck a balance between intellectual contributions and home truths.
The Summit began with a poignant video message from down syndrome advocate, Heidi Crowter, who captivated the audience immediately.
Next was medical scientist Livia Tossici-Bolt who shared her story of persecution for pro-life ministry. For her offer of consensual conversation in a Public Space Protection Order zone outside an abortion facility in Bournemouth she was prosecuted earlier this year and in light of her willingness to persevere in the face of formidable opposition has become something of a hero in the British pro-life movement.
Livia’s speech was followed by a talk by Professor Philip Booth of St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Prof. Booth explored the manipulation of language in politics as it relates to the legalisation of abortion and maintenance of the abortion industry. ‘Abortion happens after reproduction, it is not a reproductive choice,’ he clarified, concluding that as a society, ‘we’ve convinced ourselves that they’re not actually babies, not actually human persons.’
A panel titled ‘Human Rights in the Dark – What Women Aren’t Told’ followed, featuring three mothers affected by abortion. One mother, Natalia, spoke of her experience of abortion and eventual healing. When pregnant with her first child Natalia visited an abortion centre a grand total of three times before being provided with abortion pills. At the time she was unsure about the course of action and had been visibly distressed to the point of being asked to leave on previous visits; indeed, she didn’t even know how many weeks pregnant she was and wrestled with herself for three further weeks before agreeing to proceed with the abortion under what she described as ‘a lot of pressure’ from peers. Through Rachel’s Vineyard and her Christian faith she is in a much better place today and is mother to another young child.
Next came a live Q&A with legal experts hosted by lawyer and former MP Fiona Bruce. Members of the audience raised questions concerning the state of freedom of speech and association in the United Kingdom, the potential risk of persecution for pro-life advocacy online and in the workplace, and what Britain might look like should the Abortion Act of 1967 be overturned. Navaid Syed of Christian Legal Centre, Jeremiah Igunnubole of Alliance Defending Freedom UK and Sam Webster of Christian Institute all gave fascinating and informative insight as well as encouragement for the challenges faced by the pro-life movement.
At 13:30 we set off for Parliament Square. Our route was a bit different this year on account of the pro-Palestine Action demonstration also taking place in Westminster, but pro-lifers were in high spirits regardless and the march was a characteristic sea of signs, flags and smiling faces, the sound of chants and hymns echoing in the streets. A team of Roman Catholic men held aloft the statue of St Michael the Archangel as they marched, flanked by banners, while the Eastern Orthodox contingent waved Mandylion flags up ahead, and a group of Evangelicals sang the Psalms with all their heart – there were even a few people wearing prolife vegan t-shirts reminding onlookers of the broad spectrum represented there. When an ambulance needed to pass by, all shifted out of the way to make room, many making the Sign of the Cross and praying for the sick, before returning to the road to pick up where they had left off.
Many families marched with us too. I found myself just behind a family with a toddler and a baby boy in a pram. The pram was decked out with signs while the toddler sat atop his father’s shoulders proudly waving a ‘both lives count’ balloon. Other children who had attended the children’s sessions in the Emmanuel Centre waved homemade paper flags, sported colourful painted faces or wore the prolife t-shirts they had designed earlier.
When we made it to Parliament Square the March for Life UK music ministry were on-stage and in full swing, police lining the crowd to ensure the safety of the assembled pro-lifers as a small group of anti-life protestors gathered and beyond them tensions ran high at the pro-Palestine Action demo. The mood on our side of the police line could not have been more different, however.
Carla Lockhart, MP for Upper Bann and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, took to the stage first with the message: ‘If human rights mean anything, they must be consistent, they must apply to all.’ Pledging to continue using her voice in the House of Commons to stand for the rights of mothers and unborn babies, she encouraged others to be proactive, saying, ‘Friends, if we are to see change, we must each play our part.’
Next to speak was Sara Spencer, a trainee midwife who was investigated by her university after openly sharing her pro-life convictions on social media. Sarah spoke of how she had been told by a peer that they thought it was ‘horrific’ that a midwife would put their moral beliefs above ‘patient care’, and how even after being cleared of any wrongdoing professors at her university persist in decrying her online speech as inappropriate. She emphasised that while legally the right of medical professionals to conscientious objection is protected, the culture of British medical institutions remains highly antagonistic to dissenting views.
Before the final speaker, March for Life UK’s own Isabel Vaughan-Spruce delivered her annual speech. Pointing to the alarming rate at which late term abortions now occur (260 per year in England and Wales – one every working day) and the persecution of those who dare to speak out against the culture of death, Isabel called for an end to the manipulation of language, authoritarian suppression of speech and moral ambiguity to which Britons have become accustomed in recent years:
‘Priceless human beings or worthless 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.’
Finally, abortion survivor Josiah Presley tugged on many a heartstring with the tale of how his mother had tried and failed to abort him, only for his adoptive parents to raise him as their own. Josiah spoke of the anger and hatred he felt towards abortionists until an encounter with Jesus at 16-years-old set him on a new trajectory. ‘Don’t just speak the truth,’ he exhorted the crowd, ‘find a way to act on that truth.’
Strangely, the little band of anti-life protestors erupted in a chorus of jeering and boos whenever Josiah spoke fondly of his adoptive parents and the care they showed him and their other children. For Josiah’s part, he called on the crowd to recognise the inherent value of the protestors and to see the image of God in them.
The bagpiper then mounted the stage to play Amazing Grace after which we knelt to recite a prayer to end abortion and the culture of death together with our gathered religious leaders – 7 Catholic bishops and leaders from the C of E and Evangelical Churches. Then was read aloud a welcome message of encouragement from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
After a blessing from the bishops and a round of applause for the police (who did a fantastic job) the music ministry played us out with one final song. What a beautiful day to stand together for the most vulnerable in the heart of our nation’s capital, outside the Houses of Parliament, where for centuries so righteous a national vision has been made manifest, so many injustices set right. Let us pray that through the continued efforts of Britain’s pro-life movement, the extraordinary injustice of abortion will, like serfdom and slavery before it, soon come to an end.
Until that day comes we will continue marching for life.
Theo:
March for Life UK Content Creator
March for Life UK 2025 Photo Album: THE MORNING
March for Life UK 2025 Photo Album: THE MARCH
March for Life UK 2025 Photo Album: PARLIAMENT SQUARE
