The position was communicated to the Lusa news agency by José Maria Seabra Duque, general coordinator of the Caminhada pela Vida, an initiative by the Federação pela Vida that gathered hundreds of people in 12 Portuguese cities on a recent day.
The jurist was responding to recent reports indicating an increase in cases of babies being held in maternity wards in the Lisbon region due to social reasons, such as the lack of housing.
The situation “is not new” for the Federação Portuguesa pela Vida, whose associates have been supporting many immigrant women, mostly from Portuguese-speaking countries, and now also from other nationalities.
“Our associates welcome all women with open doors. A pregnant woman is a pregnant woman, regardless of the country she comes from or the documentation she holds. A pregnant woman is expecting a child and needs to receive love, care, and support, as well as political measures that allow those children to be raised in proper conditions,” he stated.
José Maria Seabra Duque mentioned that the federation does not engage in the migration policy debate, but he assured, “For us, it is very simple, the women who are here and are expecting a baby or have their babies must be supported.”
In an election year, the organization believes it is “especially important” to demand “policies in defense of life.”
“More than declaring we are against – we are against abortion, euthanasia – we want concrete measures for pregnant women in difficulty, family support, support for the sick,” he declared.
He added, “It is not acceptable to have a country where an 18-year-old expecting a baby and wanting to have her child receives no support; it is not acceptable to have a country where 65% of patients needing palliative care do not receive it.”
The Caminhada pela Vida in Lisbon, which began at Praça Luís de Camões, gathered hundreds of participants who walked to São Bento, chanting slogans “for life.”
