Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Around 4,000 people walked for life in the centre of Adelaide last Saturday.

Themed “Love the next generation”, it was the sixth annual walk held by Love Adelaide (now expanded to Love Australia).

The pro-life event is intentionally held at the culmination of the 21 days of prayer and fasting for life campaign, as the first of many walks and marches for life in cities across Australia.

The event comprises two main parts. The first involves hearing from guest speakers. The second is a walk through the streets of Adelaide, circling South Australia’s Parliament House.

Increased Christian Emphasis

Event organisers were thrilled by the outcome, receiving feedback that the 2025 gathering “was the best Walk for Life to date; it had a different feel about it”.

The increased emphasis on prayer and worship at this year’s walk can explain the above quote.

While anyone committed to the pro-life cause was welcome at the walk, Love Adelaide ran it as an openly Christian event.

Musicians and singers sang Christian worship songs in the lead up to the speaker’s session, which set the tone and feel of the event.

Then, the speaking session was interspersed with a time of prayer – not from people behind the microphone, but from the 4,000–strong crowd. Individuals were encouraged to join together with a handful of people around them and pray for the unborn lost to abortion.

One person commented, “Thank you for giving us all the opportunity to participate in praying. Everyone around us engaged with this, and the presence of the Lord was incredible.”

Towards the end of the speaking session, church leaders from multiple different dominations and churches prayed together from the front. One person reflected, “How beautiful to see the saints in unity! And to see the church leaders all together was amazing.”

Favourable Media Coverage

In previous years, media coverage has been non-existent, or if reported on, has given the impression that only a few attended the walk.

2025 was different.

Seven News accurately reported that “Thousands have marched through North Adelaide for the annual Walk for Life event.”

The report includes a clip of Love Adelaide founder Jodie Pickard saying, “All life in the womb is precious, and we want to help those mums that are in that position to be able to have those babies.”

Canberra Declaration’s Warwick Marsh told The Daily Declaration, “It’s extraordinarily rare that the media cover pro-life events. Let alone in a positive way.”

“Every time they put up news stories like this, the pro-life position wins, and the pro-abortion position loses.”

“This, I believe, is a direct answer to our prayers.”

Caring for a Distressed Woman

The 2025 Walk for Life was not without its detractors.

While the crowds were walking down Adelaide’s central street, one woman, curious about what it was all about, was reading the signs.

After realising this was a pro-life event, she angrily signalled the bird with both hands.

Quickly turning the other way, her shoe became trapped on the side of the road, and she fell to the hard, bituminised ground.

She immediately began panicking. She was pregnant.

Love Adelaide event volunteer Josh, who was walking nearby, witnessed the mother in distress and moved towards her.

After calling for an ambulance, he told her, “I can assure you that we care about the baby in your womb as much as we care about you.”

Multiple first-aid volunteers stayed with her for a prolonged period of time.

The situation perplexed Josh, telling The Daily Declaration that he couldn’t understand how a mother could be so adamant on the ‘right’ to kill her child, yet incredibly distraught at the thought that she had harmed the baby in her womb.

But he was glad to ensure that care was given to the woman and baby, as “that is what we are to advocate for”.

‘Men, Be a Little Bit Bolder and Louder’: Kurt Mahlburg

One of the guest speakers was the Canberra Declaration’s Kurt Mahlburg. He used his speech to implore more men to be involved in protecting life.

“Over the past few years, the pro-life movement in Australia has gained incredible momentum, thanks to groups like Love Adelaide”, he began.

“Women have been at the forefront of this battle, and we owe so much to their advocacy.

“But today, I want to encourage the men, too.

“I believe we can see an end to abortion in Australia if enough men join these brave women and stand up in defence of life.

“Abortion only maintains a veneer of social acceptance through the clever twisting of language.

“Language like ‘reproductive healthcare’. Actually, abortion is the opposite of reproduction and the opposite of healthcare.

“Language like ‘my body, my choice’. Actually, a baby has its own body and its own unique DNA – and every baby would certainly choose life if given the option.

“And here’s one used to silence men: Language like ‘no uterus, no opinion’.

“You don’t need to have a uterus to value the sanctity of life. All you need is a beating heart inside of your chest.”

In previous years, signs created by Love Adelaide focussed exclusively on women and babies. But in 2025, they also included the vital role men play.

T-shirts and signs with the message “Real Men Protect Babies” were seen across Adelaide’s parklands and streets. Event organisers said this was an important recognition that both men and women are essential in creating a child and are, therefore, both responsible and necessary in protecting life.

Picking up on this theme, Mahlburg concluded, “Men, stop believing the lie that you’re not allowed to speak up on this issue.

“God has also created men as protectors and providers. You don’t have to be a husband or father to want to protect babies. It’s in every man’s DNA. It’s hardwired in our soul.”

Mahlburg told The Daily Declaration, “Pro-abortion campaigning has had quite some success in silencing half of the population. If the pro-life cause is to succeed, it will take men and women working together to see the end to abortion.

“Thankfully, from what we saw at Adelaide’s Walk for Life, there is a great reason for a brighter future for the unborn.”

___

Photo via Love Adelaide/Facebook.