Rescatadores Juan Pablo II, el voluntariado provida que no se queda a la puerta de la clínica

Rescatadores Juan Pablo II volunteers stand near abortion clinics in Madrid and throughout Spain to talk with women entering or leaving the facilities. Marta Velarde, president of the group and the MasFuturo association, says the volunteers aim to listen to women considering abortion, noting that being heard can change a person's decision.

The organization traces its roots to 1978, when six students began organizing to defend the unborn before abortion was decriminalized in Spain in 1985. Velarde, one of those original students, identified her meeting with former abortion provider Bernard Nathanson as a turning point for her involvement.

The volunteer group includes a significant youth presence, with 60% of members between the ages of 18 and 28. More than 1,500 young people have participated in the group's rescue school to learn how to conduct these conversations. Beyond direct interventions, the group also tracks indirect successes involving women who initially declined to speak with volunteers but later gave birth.