"Every Life Matters"

National News

I was visiting my friend in Madrid last week. She was taking me all around the city to see all the sites and so were in Puerta del Sol. The whole placa was packed with people. We couldn’t move or get anywhere. I knew Madrid was more populated than Barcelona, but I didn’t think there was THAT many people in the city. After noticing the red capes, red shirts, picket signs and chanting, I realized I was right in the middle of a demonstration. In Spain, a demonstration is like a rally or a strike. There over a million people all coming together to fight in what they thought was right. I’ve never been to a rally or anything even remotely similar to the anti-abortion demonstration in Madrid. Currently, abortion is illegal except in particular situations: rape, endangerment to the mother, ect. There was a law proposed to make abortion legal to anyone 16 and older, and this was the some of public’s response to it.

I consider myself really lucky to have stumbled upon this huge national rally. I have never even heard of a situation where that many people come from all over the country to show their support (or anti-support) for something as simple as a law proposal. Although personally, I disagree with the mass of people, I couldn’t help but be inspired by them. They truly believe in something and are fighting to encourage it. How incredible! In the States, we do not do things like this. If we disagree with something, we sit at a bar amongst our friends and complain about it. These people must have spent lots of time, money, and effort to get over a million people to band together in Madrid. It made me want to stand up for what I believe in, too. This is just one of the ways that I have experienced other cultures, mindsets, and customs, and it will truly affect me when I return to the States.