At noon on Saturday 11th February 2012, the British Committee of Advertising Practice, the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Advertising Standards Agency in High Holborn were hit by a protest. This protest was against what these organisations had decided was acceptable to advertise over mass media to the British public – on 21st January it had been decided that private abortion providers would be allowed to advertise their terrible services to all people, this an inevitable result of the legalisation of abortion which occurred forty-five years earlier.
We began by unfurling a banner which had been made for the event; “No to Abortion Advertising!” it proclaimed. It was thought that, as people all too easily ignore those holding rosaries alone that a more visible sign to tell passers-by what was being demonstrated against would be useful. Indeed it was – from the moment the banner was set up, people on the other side of the road would stop, turn their heads, even take photographs; cars would slow down and do the same and as such it’s to believed that a lot of people were alerted to the mostly unknown fact that, come the 30th April, abortion shall be on the airwaves.
The rosary was the best place to go from there, so the Joyful Mysteries were said with more people joining us throughout - the building had not been easy to find, and most of the tube lines were down or heavily delayed, but through the course of the two-hour vigil, just under a dozen people turned up. After which the ladies present decided that it would be helpful to sing, so we sang the Ave Maris Stella and a few other hymns. We continued through the Sorrowful Mysteries, most appropriate to something which causes as much suffering as abortion, singing the last decade and the Salve – something which we repeated on the last mystery of the Glorious Mysteries as well. There were gaps in between these rosaries for a theremos-flask of tea, general chatter and interaction with the public. It should be noted that singing hymns, while giving praises to God, most certainly also gained the attention of the public – God willing the dulcet tones of the ladies present disposed people favourably to the message we put forward, it certainly seemed that way.
After we had run out of Mysteries, we said some litanies, including the Litany of the Sacred Heart in reparation for the offence of abortion against It. Then, with ten minutes to go, we decided to sing another decade of the Rosary for good luck – choosing the third Joyful Mystery, celebrating the perfect birth of Our Divine Saviour.
All in all, it was a very successful vigil and demonstration, against what is a terrible evil to allow. However, we should not stop satisfied here, rather it is essential that all those who read this write to their MPs asking them to pressure for these advertisements to be blocked. Pray too, because the remedy to this evil brought about Satan is the grace given through prayer by God.
Well done,very sad about this and am joining in with your prayers.
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