One of the most fascinating aspects of the development of the “Day of the Unborn Child” is that the impetus for it seemed to self-generate naturally in the various pro-life communities of many nations, with no international organization or communication. As stated in the March 2004 WNY Catholic, “a growing number of people, independently of each other, have experienced insight concerning the significance of March 25 in promoting a ‘Culture of Life.’”
Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, said that when he worked at the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, he often heard pro-life leaders from around the world stress the importance of the Incarnation as a pro-life symbol and the need to give the feast of March 25th more emphasis in church celebrations. Dr. John Willke, well known as the former president of the premier U.S. pro-life organization National Right to Life Committee, shares this view. Willke wrote and distributes a brochure titled “Mary’s Pregnancy” that sheds light on the significance of Christ’s conception.
In 1998, Argentina became the first nation to officially recognize the feast as a secular memorial for the unborn--President Carlos Menem declared March 25 as the Day of the Unborn. The day received a prestigious stamp of approval when Pope John Paul II wrote to Menem expressing the hope that "the celebration of the 'Day of the Unborn' foster a positive choice in favor of life and the development of a culture oriented in this direction, which will ensure the promotion of human dignity in all situations."
Since then, many countries, with those in Central and South America leading the way, have established an official memorial for unborn children--most often choosing the March 25th feast of the Annunciation for the date of the observance. In other countries the legislation is being introduced or under consideration. In Peru, March 25 was declared the “Day of the Unborn” by Law No. 27654. Three years earlier in 2001, Peru’s Roman Catholic bishops had announced that the March 25 feast of the Annunciation would be celebrated as the "Day of the Unborn." -- read more here. More recently, in 2006 the day was given official recognition in Ecuador by Presidential Decree No. 1441.
A partial list of countries that officially recognize the day can be found at the site for Human Life International’s Hispanic Division -- http://www.vidahumana.org/dia/dia_index.html (the web page also includes a link to a Spanish language article about the adoption of the Day of the Unborn in various countries). Additional details on these and other countries’ efforts to establish this day as an official observance can be found at http://www.zenit.org/article-15596?l=english and http://www.hrtl.org/fetal.htm.
In addition to Central and South America, the Philippines instituted March 25 as “The Day of the Unborn” through Presidential Proclamation 586 in 2004.
Check the site for updates on the latest countries to adopt March 25 as a Day for the Unborn.