The American TFP-America Needs Fatima sent John Miller and Charles Sulzen, its two representatives, to Poland for that country's third annual March for Life.
While Charles played the bagpipes, John carried the American flag.
The article below from Poland Today quotes from John Miller.
POLAND TODAY
Poland's March for Life: joyfully pro-family! 26.05.2008 Listen 3,7 MB
March for Life and Family 2008 (photo: marsz.org)
On the eve of the Mother's Day, which is celebrated in Poland every year on the 26th of May since 1923, residents of the Polish capital together with guests from different cities and countries, could take part in the third annual March for Life and Family - a joyful celebration of traditional values and a call for respect for the fundamental human right to life.
Joanna Najfeld reports
[GIRL] 'I am pro-life. I think it's a healthy view on life and I want to support healthy family composed of a woman, a man and children.'
[BOY] 'To celebrate family, to celebrate life, to give support to our pro-life organizations!'
Several thousand people, many families with children
Family picnic (photo: marsz.org)
and youth, marched through the heart of Warsaw on Sunday in a joyful affirmation of Judeo-Christian values. Participants called for respect for the natural family and fundamental human right to life for everyone from conception to natural death.
Next to families, individuals and organizations supporting the idea, some celebrities were spotted at the event, among them Wojciech Cejrowski - well-known Polish traveller, writer and journalist.
'For me this pro-life and pro-family march is also a celebration of the Mother's Day. I came here with my mother. She gave me life, thank you. And it was her who taught me what family is. Two homosexual women may love each other deeply but they will never make a marriage. You can call it that way, you can legalize it, but then, why don't we legalize as a marriage a group of three loving men and a dog that they all love, right? My mother
photo: marsz.org
also taught me to respect life and that is why I protest against abortion. And then, again, you can make it legal, but it is killing - premeditated murder of an innocent human being. Thank you,' Cejrowski said.
International guests came to this year's march from Germany, France, Belarus, Ukraine, but also Brazil, Chile and the United States of America: 'I'm from the American TFP. I came with the bagpiper. I was just trying to compare this to the March for Life in Washington D.C. We have about two hundred thousand. It looks today maybe 4 to 6 thousand. From here it looks like a lot. I'm definitely enjoying it.'
Comparing with the rest of Europe, Poland is a fairy conservative country. Abortion is illegal, though not punishable within certain time restrictions in three exceptions: when the baby is suspected of disability,
photo: marsz.org
there is a diagnosis of danger to the mother's health, or when there is a claim that the pregnancy is a result of crime. There is no formal registration of homosexual unions.
Pro-life and pro-family rallies has been organized occasionally not only in Warsaw. In the 1990s, when the abortion law was changed twice, two major pro-life marches were held in the Polish capital, reportedly nearing two hundred thousand participants each.
The regular, annual March for Life and Family in Warsaw was first held in 2006. Since then, the event has been steadily growing in numbers, as participants began to see Poland as a hope for the revival of human rights in Europe.
photo: marsz.org
'The family is the future for Europe. It guarantees stability and development of the whole civilization. Unfortunately, because of the crisis caused by the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, we see a decline of family - more divorces, homosexual unions and also less children because of contraception and abortion. Because of this, europe is becoming a demographical "Titanic". The only solution is to return to the family values and it should be guaranteed by the state and also by the European Union which is not unfortunately supporting suicidal policy,' said Sławomir Olejniczak, co-organizer of March for Life and Family.
photo: marsz.org
March for Life and Family ended with a family picnic open air concert with a variety attractions - games and competitions for children. Mothers received Mother's Day wishes and gifts from their beloved ones.
A week before the march, a series of family events had been held in the run-up to the march, including a conference on naprotechnology - natural methods of combating infertility, and a pro-life movie night.
Organizers are already working on next year's edition.
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