Nearly half of pregnancies in the UK are unexpected and unfortunately the situations women find themselves in can range anywhere from terrifying to surprising.

Four representatives from the UK based charity “Life”, together with other pilgrims, flew from England to Italy and walked 69 miles (111km) to Saint Peter’s Square to raise funds for the charity in order to continue the practical and compassionate approach to supporting women.

Without politics or judgment, “Life” welcomes anyone facing difficult pregnancy circumstances, showing women that there is always a better option than abortion—and that she is never alone. 

Anthony Carus, a pilgrim from Ulston, UK, highlights, “There is support available, it's non-directional counselling and physical support. There are “Life” houses which are established in order to allow women to come in to the house with their newborn babies."

Another pilgrim from Poole, UK, Deacon Nick Johnson, explains, “This is a charity that will engage with them in over a year. They work with 70,000 women. That's worth paying for. They also, for your audience, they need clinicians, midwives, counsellors who will volunteer to help them."

"Life" maintains that a positive pregnancy test shouldn't be feared. But for many, an unexpected pregnancy can bring pressure to make a decision they don't truly want.

Rebecca Hotchin from North Lincolnshire, UK, joined the pilgrimage as well. 

She tells her story: 

“I was groomed by a convicted pedophile and once my family found out I was pregnant I was kind of told that I had to have an abortion.”

She explains how “Life” helped her, sharing, “It's not just the counselling that benefited me, it was also my journey into the Catholic faith, being able to go to confession, being able to speak to my local priests about anything that I was struggling with.”

“For me,” she adds, “my abortion wasn't a choice. And I think for a lot of women, abortion is something that, for them, it's not a choice, it's what women do when they have no choice.”

Rebecca encourages:

“If you're in a situation where it's dangerous, they can help you get to a place of safety so that you can still have your child. There's no shame in being a single parent. I started as a single parent and you manage, you do.”

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Adapted by Jacob Stein

Produced by Zofia Czubak; Camera by Matteo Cioffi; Video edited by Ilaria Chimenti