On Saturday, January 3/16, Fr. Anastasios attended the North Carolina Right to Life's 2010 Annual Rally and March for Life. Father carried an icon of the Theotokos and was interviewed by a local radio station. He explained that in recent years, more Orthodox are becoming vocal about protecting the rights of the unborn, and that it is his hope that Orthodox will continue to translate their personal opposition to abortion in to public actions such as this. The Virgin Mary is in a sense the most well-known person to have had an "unplanned pregnancy" yet she said yes to God, allowing Him to be born and come to save us. Her betrothed, St. Joseph, protected her even though he could have lawfully turned her away (which could have resulted in her being stoned to death). From her womb came God the Word; what other great people are waiting to be born, who may not make it to this world if abortion continues?

The Rally consisted of several speeches against abortion on demand, but not in a spirit critical of those who have made this unfortunate choice. In fact, there were several people who had committed this sin and repented at the Rally. Rather, the clear focus was on organizations such as Planned Parenthood, which claim to be objective helpers of those in trouble, but which really help to cover up abusive situations, and prey on young and vulnerable people who have made mistakes. This is in keeping with the legacy of the founder of Planned Parenthood, the eugenicist and atheist Margaret Sanger. It was followed by a March through downtown Raleigh, which was attended by several hundred people.

The goal is to overturn abortion on demand, but being aware of the difficulty of this goal does not stop us from trying and making our voice heard. We can at at least hope for incremental improvements, such as limiting federal funding of abortions, preventing it from being required coverage in any future government-run health insurance program, and letting the world around us know that there is an alternative to death.

Note: The Rally and March for Life are not ecumenical events. While the majority of participants are Roman Catholic, there were no joint prayers or other actions which would compromise the integrity of our traditionalist witness.