Poland’s
First National March for Life and Family Draws Over 2000
Over 2000 pro-family
Poles marched through Warsaw on June 4, 2006 for the nation’s
First National March for Life and Family. The event was
organized by the Fundacja Pro and the TFP-inspired Stowarzyszenie
Kultury Chrzescijanskiej im. Ks. Piotra Skargi (Fr. Peter
Skarga Association for Christian Culture).
The crowd included numerous young people and families with
children. They represent a new generation of pro-life and
pro-family Poles who affirm their Catholic moral values.
A marching band, imaginative signs and lively slogans gave
a festive tone to the Sunday rally. The American TFP also
sent a delegation to participate in this cultural battle
that transcends national boundaries.
The
event was especially timely considering the enormous pressure
from the European Union to force member nations to accept
practices contrary to Catholic teachings. Thus, the march
served to show Polish opposition to abortion, same-sex “marriage”
and so many other modern day threats to the family. Polish
officials and politicians including the Minister of Education
were also present at the march.
The
two thousand Poles who attended were curiously ignored by
mainstream media in Europe. This contrasted with the huge
amount of publicity given to last year’s aborted attempt
at a "gay pride" parade, attended by approximately
50 participants, and 200 observers. This year, 2000 radical
homosexual activists and leftist politicians from all over
Europe converged upon the Polish capital to stage a larger
“gay pride” march that hardly reflected Polish
values. Between the two marches of two thousand, the "gay
pride" march got decent coverage.
Catholic Poland overwhelmingly
is against abortion and same-sex “marriage.”
It takes to heart recent Vatican statements against the
practice of abortion and homosexuality. It also sees these
practices as an attack upon its culture and very identity.
For this reason, Poland
revoked its communist era liberal abortion laws after the
fall of the Iron Curtain. Unfortunately, abortion is still
legal under very restricted circumstances such as when the
pregnancy results from a crime, when the baby is diagnosed
with a genetic imperfection, or when the mother’s
life or health is in danger. About 150-200 such abortions
are committed each year. Homosexual “unions”
are also not legal but leftist radicals, feminists and those
in the homosexual movement are trying hard to impose acceptance
of their lifestyle on society and even target young children
with pro-homosexual textbooks.
It is no wonder the
organizing committee is planning on making the March for
Life and Family an annual event. The committee hopes thousands
upon thousands of Poles will join this march to affirm
an authentic Poland and not an artificial Poland imposed
upon the nation from outside.
