March for Life UK 2025 was 'largest in UK history' with 10,000 attendees

On Saturday, September 6, 2025, more than 10,000 people gathered in the streets of London, England, in a formidable display to peacefully declare the dignity and sanctity of all human life.

According to a report published on the March for Life UK website, Saturday’s event was the “largest March for Life UK in its history, with over ten thousand pro-life advocates gathering in a peaceful and joy-filled demonstration of support for the unborn and their parents.”  

Key Takeaways:

• This year's March for Life UK boasted the largest crowd in its history, with over 10,000 people in attendance.

• Despite counter-protests and other protests happening at the time, marchers remained upbeat.

• The March comes just after the lower house of Parliament voted to advance a bill to legalize assisted suicide and one that decriminalizes self-abortion without gestational limits.

The Details:

Keynote speakers during the day’s events included pro-life Member of Parliament (MP) Carla Lockhart, abortion survivor Josiah Presley, and pro-lifer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce. Vaughan-Spruce has been arrested, investigated, and charged by the British authorities several times for silently praying within an expansive UK abortion facility buffer zone.

“Each speech highlighted the personal and political cost of defending life, but also the hope and conviction that fuels this movement,” March for Life UK declared in its report, adding:

Josiah Presley shared his deeply moving testimony of surviving an attempted surgical abortion and being raised by loving adoptive parents. Presley, once filled with bitterness, shared how an encounter with Jesus Christ at 16 changed his life, urging the crowd not to stop at speaking the truth, but to act upon it.

Despite pro-abortion protesters and a large pro-Palestinian protest "resulting in hundreds of arrests,” participants in Saturday’s March for Life UK remained upbeat and cheerful, March for Life UK noted. 

Attending the March was Catherine Mockler of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), a pro-life group that defends human life from conception to natural death, told Live Action News: 

Every year in the UK we see nearly 300,000 babies lost to abortion. SPUC marches to represent these innocent babies and show that life in the womb really matters. We love these unborn babies enough to come out here today and also represent the many women who have been hurt as a result of abortion.  Women and babies deserve better than abortion. SPUC will continue to fight back against the culture of death.

The Big Picture:

Several themes emerged at the UK event. Here are some of them:

#1: Courage in the face of trial 

Notably, the 2025 March for Life UK took place in wake of vigorous political and social debates surrounding abortion and end-of-life matters. In June of this year, lawmakers in the House of Commons voted 314 to 291 in favor of the controversial anti-life "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill" to legalize assisted suicide for “terminally ill” adults. On June 17, Parliament also voted to decriminalize self-managed abortions (at any time during pregnancy) to prevent women in England and Wales from being prosecuted for killing their preborn children.

Various pro-life advocates, including Vaughan-Spruce, experienced rising hostility, including arrests and interrogations for peaceful prayer and pro-life witness.

March for Life UK speakers Vaughan-Spruce and Scottish midwife Sara Spencer (who was suspended from a placement with Scottish-based NHS Fife for expressing her pro-life views online) reminded the crowd that while defending life came with personal and political costs, such costs were worth the fight for life.

Such fortitude, premised on the belief that all life is sacred and that every human being’s life should be treated with dignity, continues to power pro-life advocates like Vaughan-Spruce and Spencer despite strong pushback. 

#2: The Importance of Abortion Survivors’ Testimonies 

Admittedly, the poignant testimony of abortion survivor Josiah Presley was one of the day’s highlights.

Presley's story of surviving an abortion as well as his own personal transformation — from a child bitter about his birth parents’ decision to try to abort him to a young adult transformed by Christianity — was a sobering reminder that the pro-life movement is not merely about politics, rhetoric, or protests.

Rather, the pro-life cause is ultimately about stories of redemption and hope. 

Presley’s testimony reminded the audience that behind every abortion statistic is a human being with the potential for a bright future. 

#3: Grassroots Contributions 

Church groups and student societies at the March spread awareness of the sanctity of life and the horrors of abortion procedures, encouraging thousands of participants to tangibly contribute in their own ways for the pro-life cause.

Such cultural momentum in favor of life is essential; shifts in culture may exert pressure on lawmakers to pass laws favoring life or keep them from voting for anti-life laws.

Despite hostile counter-protests by pro-abortion supporters and mainstream media efforts to portray pro-lifers in an unfavorable light, this year’s March for Life UK participants exuded joy and hope throughout the day. 

#4: The Centrality of Faith in the Pro-Life Cause 

The role of Christianity, in particular, was a prominent aspect of the March for Life UK 2025. A morning Roman Catholic Mass was held at Westminster Cathedral before the start of the march, Rosary prayers were led by religious monks and priests (such as the Marian Franciscans). Other various prayers were a large part of the day, as well.

These reminded observers that the pro-life movement is not merely political or social activism, but spiritual warfare. Evidently, numerous participants saw prayer as the key to change hearts and anti-life laws in the United Kingdom. 

The Bottom Line:

For pro-life advocates in Britain and beyond, the recently concluded March for Life UK 2025 was both a celebration and a call to action to continue resisting anti-life laws and speaking up for all human life. Saturday’s march is just the beginning of a long but hope-filled mission to defend all human lives, from the womb to the tomb.