Tens of thousands of people protested in Paris on Sunday 19 January against the expected legalisation of assisted procreation for lesbian couples and single women.
The crowd was estimated at 26,000, or two-thirds smaller than the last protest in October, by an independent counting agency now used by French media because of wildly varying estimates usually given by organisers and police. Inexplicably, the usually conservative police count was 41,000 while organisers gave no estimate.
The French bishops’ conference had encouraged Catholics to oppose the bill that has already passed the National Assembly and will now be considered by the Senate.
Banners at the march denounced an expected lucrative market in test-tube babies and the lack of a father in these new families. “Liberté, égalité, paternité” was a frequent slogan.
Assisted procreation is now legal in France only for heterosexual couples with fertility problems.
A week before the protest, the French bishops’ conference reiterated its opposition to the bill and said: "No human being can treat another as an object." Two days later, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit issued a statement saying: "A child is a gift to be received, not something we have a right to manufacture.”
Several protesters vowed to continue their campaign. “Whatever happens, we must continue to spread the word and play the role of witness,” said Pascale Morinière, president of the Catholic Families Associations.
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