New York, March 26, 2024
During a prayer service outside Planned Parenthood in Manhattan in February, His Eminence Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey of the Orthodox Church in America said to those who gathered to pray for an end to abortion: “As we come into the Lenten season, the time of repentance, let us call on this nation and everyone to consider turning away from this option”—at these words the hierarch pointed out at the image of aborted baby—“to a more godly one. To consider adoption, life instead of death. And to add our prayers, our encouragement and our support of those women who have to make that difficult choice.”
In light of these encouraging words from Abp. Michael, Orthodox Christians Pro-Life held a moleben and educational outreach event on Wall Street. Downtown Manhattan’s busy financial district is a convenient location to reach many people with the truth of the Gospel and the truth about abortion. The service was led by Abbot Zosimas (Krampis) from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
Pro-life activities are especially important in New York right now, as abortion rights will be on the state ballot in November. The so-called Equal Rights Amendment would not only make an abortion ban impossible in the future, but would even prohibit cutting abortion funding from tax dollars via Medicaid and would force private insurances to cover abortions.
The amendment is also a dangerous attempt to limit freedom of speech, as pro-life education or even church sermons could be considered “discrimination” based on reproductive rights.
The Orthodox Pro-Life Society calls on everyone to use the blessed time of Great Lent to witness to the faith to those around them, helping them make right decision, and to serve God this way, doing our best to save children from death. Let us remember these words of Scripture:
If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? (Prov. 24:11-12).
Another pro-life event will also be held this coming weekend outside the ParkMed abortuary in Manhattan. The moleben for an end to abortion will be served by Fr. William Bennett of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese.
To participate, please contact Orthodox Christians Pro-Life in advance at 917-428-3560 or info@orthodoxchristiansprolife.org. The event will be held at 800 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10017 at 2:30 pm on Saturday, March 30.
Watch the video of Abp. Michael’s sermon from the previous moleben. “We are here to protect the rights of the unborn,” Vladyka stressed out, recalling that the U.S. was founded with the Declaration of Independence, in which the right to life was proclaimed first, before all other rights.
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The New York -based St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society calls on people outside New York to create their local pro-life societies, start movement in their cities and to form national Orthodox Christians Pro-Life movements. There is work to be done in every state: After Roe v. Wade was overturned, a few states voted in favor of abortion rights, but it’s not impossible task to overturn that and to make those states pro-life again; some other states accepted pro-life laws, but even there you can work to make abortion unthinkable.
Besides New York abortion rights will be on the ballot in Maryland in 2024 and possibly in some other states. Fill out this form to start your activities.
In some states, CVS and Walgreens sell the abortion pill mifepristone. If you are in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, Rhode Island, New York, or Illinois you can consider starting your witness outside your local pharmacy. It’s important to let pregnant women and fathers know that abortion pill reversal is possible after taking the first pill. You can use our sign or create your own.
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For about a year now, the Pro-Life Society has been helping K., a single mother of four from Arizona. The society has helped her cover rent, pay cellphone bills, and purchase a bottle warmer, chair, and pillow that she needed to feed her twin boys. The Society spent about $2,200 for these purposes, and this family still needs help.
Please visit their baby registry to purchase diapers for all four children and other items. Orthodox Christians Pro-Life is grateful to St. Barbara’s Philoptochos of Daytona Beach, FL, a family of ROCOR parishioners from Michigan, St. Nicholas of Myra ACROD Church of New York, and all who have helped mom K. see that she is not alone in her struggles! Since she and her children are still in need, please consider supporting our work so we can do more.
To support the work of Orthodox Christians Pro-Life (a non-profit organization), please mail checks to:
33 Hewitt Avenue, Bronxville, NY 10708.
You can also donate online at GiveSendGo or directly via PayPal.
Venmo and Cash App: OCProLife.
Contact information:
Tel. 917-428-3560.
Email
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