by Joseph Yun Li-sun

In Seoul, more than 3,000 people from different religious backgrounds call on the government to promote the sanctity of life. Inspired by the slogan 'Life says, Life listens, and Life walks!', protesters want change to boost births. "Let us give people an opportunity to do the right thing," said the president of the Pro-Life Commission of the Bishops' Conference.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - More than 3,000 people from different religious and social backgrounds marched in the streets of the South Korean capital calling on the government to "put the sanctity of life back at the centre of society."

Titled 'Life says, Life listens, and Life walks!', the 4-km march was held on 8 June in Seoul's Yeouido District under the auspices of the Pro-life Federation, an interfaith group that for years has fought in favour of a higher birth rate.

At the start of the event, Pro-life Federation officials laid out their programme 'The principle of life: our requests', a pro-life manifesto in which they ask the government to outlaw pre-natal murder and stop funding for pregnant women and single mothers.

"The tragic situation of abortions in South Korea has not changed," said Mgr Linus Lee Seong-hyo, president of the Pro-life Commission of the Korean Bishops' Conference.

"Despite its great success in so many different fields," he added, "our nation remains underdeveloped from the point of view of the defence of life. The government needs to stop this and give people the chance to make the right choice. "

At present, South Korea's birth rate is 1.05, one of the lowest in the world.

Conscious that this figure constitutes a danger, the Catholic Church has always been involved in several programmes to support the family and procreation.

Issues about genetics and cloning are deeply felt in the country, which pioneered scientific research in human cell reproduction.

 

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• seoul
• korea
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• life