MARCH FOR LIFE 2025
MISSION
We march for human life. For the unborn and the unseen. For those who are eagerly awaited and those who are at risk of never seeing the light of day. For mothers whose strength and care often go unnoticed. For fathers, whose support is especially important both for mothers and their children. For grandparents, whose wisdom, experiences and help are needed by every young family. For a society that respects human life and dignity from its beginning until natural death. For science that serves creation and life, not destruction.
Every life, no matter how small it may seem, is worthy of acceptance and accompaniment with love.
VISION
We want a society where a culture of life is deeply rooted. We seek a society where every mother is respected, supported, and shown compassion; where every father is encouraged to take responsibility and find pride in his fatherhood; and where life is valued for its inherent dignity.
We seek a society where every child is welcomed with gratitude as a gift, where spouses are encouraged to embrace parenthood, and where mothers and fathers are supported not only during pregnancy but also throughout the journey of raising their children.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
- Demonstrate peaceful yet firm support for human life and its inherent dignity, while strengthening the pro-life movement in Lithuania.
- Promote a culture of life, manifested through respect for unborn life, assistance to families facing crisis pregnancies and infertility, and financial support for raising children at the local, municipal, and national levels.
- Demonstrate that the defense of human life seeks the comprehensive support of both women and men, and not the opposite. Human life arises from the complementarity of the male and female sexes; therefore, it is impossible to defend it without recognizing the mutual contribution of the sexes and the shared responsibility of the father and mother for the creation and nurturing of new life.
- Encourage lawmakers to seek solutions grounded in concern for human life and dignity, rather than ideological motives, financial calculations, or consumerist logic.
- Demonstrate that the defense of human life is not merely a religious or political issue. It is the existential foundation upon which Western civilization rests.
ETHICAL AND LEGAL FOUNDATIONS
From Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas, from Kant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—the great Western moral traditions have consistently defended the life and dignity of every human being. Hippocrates, who lived in the 5th–4th centuries B.C., formulated the ethical principles for the protection of human life in the womb. In this context, the idea that unborn children are not worthy of protection is not progress, it is the destruction of ethical thought nurtured for millennia.
Human rights begin at the very moment of the beginning of human life, a unique person who did not exist before and whose life will never exist again in the history of humanity. This principle is grounded in science, ethics, morality, religion, and culture. Life is not merely a biological fact, but also a moral reality, deserving of our care and special attention from the very moment of conception.
Both national and international jurisprudence confirm what we already know: the vulnerability of human life arises before its visibility.
Lithuanian law provides for the protection of human life. Article 18 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania establishes that human rights and freedoms are inherent. Article 19 of the Constitution states that the right to life is protected by law. The Law on the Fundamentals of Child Protection states: “<…> every child, both before and after birth, must be guaranteed the opportunity to develop healthily and normally.”
Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms states that everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law. The European Court of Human Rights has also held that the right to abortion is not related to the right to private life protected by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that a child “requires special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, both before and after birth,” and “in all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities, or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.”
The Constitutional Court has enshrined in its doctrine the principle of the inseparability of human life and inherent dignity: “Human life and human dignity constitute the integrity of the person and represent the essence of humanity. Life and dignity are inalienable human attributes and therefore cannot be treated separately,” and “As noted earlier, the right to life is an inherent right of every human being. It is indivisible. Either life exists, or it does not.” (Constitutional Court ruling of December 9, 1998).
The Constitution establishes childhood as a constitutional value that is particularly protected and nurtured, under which the state is required by law to guarantee adequate and effective protection of the rights and legitimate interests of minors. The imperative of prioritizing the interests of the child arises from the aspiration for an open, just, and harmonious civil society enshrined in the preamble to the Constitution. This imperative implies the state’s duty to ensure that, both when enacting laws and other legal acts and when applying them and resolving other issues related to children, the child’s interests are taken into account first and foremost and that no conditions are created that could violate them” (Constitutional Court ruling of November 8, 2019).
CONTEXT
Every year, thousands of human lives are lost in Lithuania due to abortions. This is a tremendous loss not only for the mother and father, but for all of Lithuania. That life, which never saw the light of day due to the termination of pregnancy, could have been a talent for our country: a scientist, an inventor, an excellent doctor, or the father or mother of a large family. Unborn lives—these are thousands of hands that could have created and built a better Lithuania!
We see that Lithuania is experiencing a demographic winter. In such a situation, when our small nation faces extinction, every life matters. In this context, the Lithuanian Parliament’s aim to further encourage abortions by covering their costs from the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund appears controversial, regardless of whether the abortion is performed for objective medical reasons (when it is necessary to protect a woman’s health and life after serious fetal abnormalities have been detected) or for “family planning” purposes unrelated to health protection.
Children are the future of our homeland. The fact that fewer children are born in Lithuania than people die poses a threat to national security. Especially at this time, in the face of the threat of war. This threat is also mentioned in the National Security Strategy (Section 14.11), and improving the demographic situation is one of the objectives of this Strategy (Section 18.17).
The Reproductive Health Act seeks to normalize abortion as an appropriate and moral means of family planning and to increase its accessibility, including through remote abortion procedures (via telemedicine). This denies the human dignity of children before birth and violates a fundamental human right—the right to life.
On the other hand, we are seeing an increasing risk of the instrumentalization of human life. The liberalization of assisted reproduction carries the risk of turning a child into a means to an end, disregarding their inherent right to grow up in a family, to know their father and mother, and to have a close relationship with them. Legalizing assisted reproduction services for an extremely broad circle of people unrelated by family ties encourages the commercial growth of fertility clinics, where genetic material and the child become objects of the market. Such state policy, which preemptively programs childlessness and regards the father as unnecessary and easily replaceable, does not align with the principles of the common good. This devalues fatherhood and distorts its meaning.
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania is currently considering a draft Reproductive Health Law, which passed the submission stage on May 13, 2025, by a margin of two votes. This year, the issue is being considered by committees. Although this draft law is presented as a modern healthcare regulatory measure, it actually seeks to normalize abortion as an appropriate and moral family planning method, denying the human dignity and right to life of children before birth. Under this law, abortions in Lithuania would be funded in all cases by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund, regardless of whether the abortion is performed for objective medical reasons or for “family planning” purposes unrelated to health protection.
The strength of a nation lies in the morality and conscience of its citizens. When laws drift away from human values, when respect for life is replaced by profit and calculation, we lose the foundation of everything and ultimately lose ourselves. St. John Paul II once said: “Every human being is more precious than all the gold in the world.” We believe that every life is important, and that a mother’s womb is the safest place for a baby.
WHO IS THIS MARCH FOR?
This march is an invitation to reflect on what human life means to us, how much we value and respect it, and what place it occupies in our consciousness, society, and decision-making. The theme of life is universal and it unites both believers and non-believers. It is a matter of human dignity, independent of religious or philosophical beliefs.
Every person, regardless of their stage of development or life circumstances, is valuable. To defend life means to defend the person, to defend the family. This is a call for society to be more open to the weakest, to turn toward the most vulnerable and those whose voices are not yet heard.
This march is a sign of solidarity. First and foremost with women who choose to give birth even in the most difficult circumstances. Also with men who take responsibility not only for the child but also for its mother. A sign of solidarity with the family, the most perfect expression of the communion between man, woman, and children. Also with those who never saw the light of this world.
This is a call to build a society in which no mother feels left alone, neither during pregnancy nor while raising a child. This is a call to build a society in which fathers find the strength and wisdom to walk the path of responsible fatherhood with dignity. This is a call to cherish human life once it has begun, to create new life, and to respect families raising children.
Not to judge, but to support, nor to impose decisions, but to help choose the common good freely, with love, responsibility, and respect.
We believe that human life is not a problem to be “solved,” but a gift that must be protected. Even if that gift never sees the light of day, it deserves our respect and a dignified farewell.
Therefore, this march is dedicated to all who believe that human life is worth protecting and respecting.
THE MARCH IS?
- a peaceful event that expresses respect for unborn life;
- a gathering of women and men determined to protect human life from the moment of conception, as well as their families;
- a gathering of the voice of conscience;
- a way to say that even in a changing world, there are truths that remain unchanging. One such truth is that human life begins at the moment of conception.
THE MARCH IS NOT:
- a political party event;
- a religious event;
- a rally of anger or hatred;
- a protest against women, men, doctors, or those who hold different beliefs.
EVENT INFORMATION
Date: September 26, 2026
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania.
Route: The march begins at the M. Mažvydas Library. We will march along Gedimino Avenue to Cathedral Square.
Format: Part I – a peaceful, public, and united march through the center of Vilnius. Everyone gathers at the M. Mažvydas Library, then we will march along Gedimino Avenue to Cathedral Square. Part II of the event will take place at Cathedral Square, featuring a concert, speeches, testimonies followed by a moment of silence for all those who never saw the light of this world, and more.
PARTICIPANTS
The event is open to everyone, religious and non-religious, young and old, families and singles, people from all walks of life. The most important thing is to cherish human life from the moment it begins.
This is a peaceful and respectful march, free of anger and filled with hope and light. Our goal is not to divide, but to unite.
SPEAKERS
We invite representatives from various fields to join us: medical professionals, experts in bioethics and law, media representatives, youth and student leaders, pro-life activists, and most importantly— mothers, fathers, grandparents, children who have survived abortions, and families who can share their vital experiences.
PARTNERS
We invite various religious and secular organizations, communities, and educational institutions that express deep concern about the beginning of human life to become partners in this event, as well as the attempt to legalize abortion in the legal and educational systems based on the Reproductive Health Act. Those wishing to collaborate on the event are invited to contact us or submit an inquiry by July 1, 2026.
Organizations that join as official event partners will be granted access to the Event Partners’ communication toolkit and regular campaign updates.
A prerequisite is to support the event’s vision and values, share relevant event information through your communication channels, invite others to participate in the event, and share related information.
ORGANISERS
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION
Our language will be respectful and empathetic. We are not afraid to speak the truth, but we will do so with love, not with shouting or violence.
We understand that pregnancy can be complex and full of challenges. Our response is compassion and support. A caring and humane society takes pride in, cherishes, and supports the choices of motherhood and fatherhood with all its might, and values every human life.
We do not condemn those who have chosen a different path. We march to declare openly, firmly, and responsibly that another path is possible—one that fosters a culture of life.
Key phrases:
- “Let’s not stop a beating heart”;
- “Every life matters”;
- “For mothers, fathers, and children—we are all responsible for one another”;
- “Lithuania doesn’t need abortions; it needs courage and responsibility”;
- “For marriage and family—the most perfect expression of the love between a mother, a husband, and children.”
We are marching because silence is not neutral.
We are marching because our future, our children’s future, and Lithuania’s future deserve better laws than those that treat life as a choice rather than a gift.
We are marching because a mother’s womb and a father’s care should be the safest place in the world.
If your organization or community would like to collaborate on communications or has its own media team and would like to join us, please contact us by email at diana.karveliene@gmail.com (in Lithuanian) or bryanlawgonsalves@gmail.com (in English).
CONTACTS
Event coordinator
Simonas Streikus
Head of NGO „Truth Sets You Free”
Head of Communication Manager (LT)
Diana Karvelienė
Communications Manager, Lithuanian Christian Workers’ Trade Union
Head of Communications (EN)
Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves
Head of Pro Life Vilnius
Partner Coordinator (LT)
Simona Neverienė
Crisis Pregnancy Center, Lithuanian Partner Coordinator
Partner Coordinator (EN)
Antanas Urma
Baltic Regional Director of Pro Life Europe, Coordinator of International Partners
Youth and Volunteer Coordinator
Lukrecija Kozlovskytė
Lithuanian Catholic Federation „Ateitis”
Regional Coordinator
Erlendas Bartulis
National Association of Families and Parents
Let’s not stop the beating heart. Join the March for Life!
