Finnish pro-lifers hold candlelit memorial for lives lost to abortion

On March 21, pro-lifers in Finland held a touching ceremony commemorating preborn lives lost to abortion, lighting 8,645 candles and placing them on the steps of the country's Parliament in Helsinki. The number signified the number of abortions committed in the country in 2024.

Key Takeaways:

• A pro-life memorial event took place in Helsinki on March 21, featuring lighted candles to represent the lives lost to abortion in2024.

• Finland relaxed its abortion laws in 2023.

• At the same time, the country is experiencing a plummeting birth rate.

The Details:

According to International Family News, more than 200 people attended the event, which consisted of a gathering at a church and a candlelit procession to the steps of the Finnish Parliament.

The memorial event was organized by the group Oikeus elämään ry (Right to Life Association). Johannes Laitinen, a member of the group, said that "the candles were lit for the remembrance of these children. The purpose of the event was also to give a voice to the silent grief that many have experienced after abortion."

“There were about one hundred pre-invited candlelighters on the steps to ensure that all the candles could be lit," Latinen explained. “We invited people who feel a personal connection to the issue of children lost through abortion. The public was also offered the opportunity to participate by lighting a candle. Around 200–300 people gathered at the Parliament steps."

After all the candles were lit, a moment of silence was held to remember the lives lost to abortion. Volunteers kept watch as the candles remained lit throughout the night.

Zoom Out:

In 2023, Finnish lawmakers significantly relaxed restrictions on abortion, removing a requirement that women first needed approval from two physicians, and expanding the law to allow abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

After 12 weeks, there are numerous exceptions, allowing abortions up to 20 weeks for illness, rape, fetal anomaly, a minor's pregnancy, or pregnancy in a woman over 40 or who already has four children.

At the same time, the country's birth rate is plummeting. In 2025, officials announced increased incentives to encourage men and women to donate sperm and eggs for the creation of embryos via in vitro fertilization.

The Bottom Line:

It is folly for a nation to work to boost fertility rates while at the same time making it easier to kill preborn children. The pro-life memorial was a visual representation to lawmakers of the thousands of people who might otherwise be alive today if preborn children were protected from abortion.