The March for Life comes as parliament continues deliberations on a reproductive health bill that would expand abortion access and public funding. The measure narrowly passed its first reading in May 2025 and will next move through committee hearings and debates before a final vote.
Lithuania is one of the few EU countries where abortion is legal but largely unregulated; under Soviet occupation and rule, the procedure was tightly controlled by the state. After independence, the country continued to rely on Soviet-era abortion regulations. The proposed Reproductive Health Law would formalise and broaden access, turning abortion from a ministerial decree into full legislation.
La propuesta
Simonas Streikus, the main event organiser of Zygis už gyvybę (March for Life) in Vilnius, informed that the event was intended to highlight the enduring importance of human life. “There are values that never change. Chief among them is human life, the foundation of our humanity. To remain truly human, we must honour life with respect, with love, with responsibility, and with protection. This is why we march, so society may see and remember this truth,” he said.
The March for Life will set off from the Martynas Mažvydas National Library at 1 pm, proceed down Gedimino Avenue, and conclude in Vilnius Cathedral Square with speeches, music, and family activities. Organisers say ending in there is intentional, pointing to its place as both the civic and spiritual heart of the capital. By finishing there, they hope to tie the defense of life to Lithuania’s broader historical identity, at the crossroads where faith, politics, and culture have long converged.
Ramūnas Aušrotas an advocate of the Vilnius March for Life, who works as a lecturer of Bioethics at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, had this to say “In contemporary bioethics, a troubling inconsistency is evident, for when an unborn child is desired, every medical resource is mobilised to safeguard its life. When the child is not desired, suddenly the standards shift, and termination is allowed. Some call this a social compromise; in truth, it reflects an ethical inconsistency. Human life cannot be both valued and denied”.
La nueva ley
The proposed law would allow abortion on request up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, and up to 22 weeks in cases of rape, incest, or medical necessity. It would also expand access by making both surgical and medical abortions widely available, including through telehealth consultations, while requiring the procedures to be fully funded by taxpayers, effectively establishing abortion as a state-guaranteed service.
“I’ve seen the miracle of life at its beginning and the dignity of its natural end”, said Richard Cervin, a family doctor with more than 30 years of experience in Lithuania. “If we cannot stand for the defenceless, whose life need we defend? Protecting the life of the unborn is not political or ideological, but simply very human”.
Suma de fuerzas
The upcoming March for Life is being organised by a coalition of civil society groups and lay Catholic organisations, reflecting a broad base of support. While rooted partly in Catholic involvement, the march itself is secular in nature and open to participants of all faiths or none at all.
Organisers expect families, students, medical professionals, and young social activists to take part, underscoring the event’s wide appeal. “The sanctity of life transcends religious boundaries, you don’t need to believe in God to know that killing the vulnerable is wrong”, said Diana Karvelienė, the events communications director. She emphasised that the initiative is ultimately one of hope, expressing solidarity with mothers whose strength often goes unrecognised and with fathers whose support is vital for both mothers and children.
As the October 4 march approaches, it is not only seen as a peaceful public march against pending legislation, but also as an affirmation of Lithuania’s moral compass. For participants, the debate over reproductive rights is not merely a matter of policy, but a question of national identity which begs the question of what kind of society Lithuania chooses to build for future generations.
When asked why she would be participating in the March, Lukrecija Kozlovskytė, an artist and former council member of Ateitininkai, a Lithuanian Catholic youth organisation, had this to say “I can’t stand by while innocent lives are being taken. To me, it would be like witnessing a killing in the street and doing nothing”.
Regardless of how the Lithuanian parliament votes, the Vilnius March for Life is poised to become a turning point in the country’s public conversation on human dignity, the role of the state in protecting it, and the determination of citizens to stand for their convictions. For participants, the event is an act of solidarity in standing for the unborn while also lifting mothers and fathers in the sacred task of raising a family. In the end, they hope their presence will bear witness to a single core truth, that life, in all its fragility, is always worth defending.
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