March for Life

Saturday we participated in the March for Life in Gherla.  About one hundred people from many churches in town marched together. Those churches included the Baptist, Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Catholic, and Armenian Churches.  There was a rally at the main square followed by a march in the city.  We stopped by several different churches where representatives from those churches prayed for mothers to choose life for their babies We also prayed in front of a school and the hospital.  Since Pastor Simi was out of town, he asked Mike to pray when the group stopped at the Open Bible Church.

Mike praying for life to come to the city--for the babies, the mothers, the people and the churches.

Nancy and a few of the people she marched with. (Pictures by Stefana Hruban)

Romania has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. According to CBS News, there are annually 48 abortions per 1000 women.  Abortion rates soared when Romania was under communism.  In the picture above, we are holding posters that show the number of abortions compared with the number of births for certain years.  For example, the poster I am holding shows that in 1966, 22 percent of pregnancies resulted in live births while 78 percent were aborted.  This extremely high abortion rate resulted in a declining population in the country and when Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power, he wanted a growing population, so he outlawed abortion and contraception.  This resulted in great numbers of unwanted babies born who were placed in orphanages.  When communism fell, abortion was once again legalized and the abortion rates rose dramatically again.  Today abortion rates have fallen some, due mainly to more use of contraceptives, but the rates are still about double those in the United States.
We are particularly concerned about those women who have had abortions in the last fifty-plus years.  The regret, sorrow, anger and guilt they feel affects the country in ways that cannot be measured, but is almost palpable to us. May the Lord show us how to help them to forgiveness and life in Christ.
Please pray with us for the people of Romania that God would give them peace in Jesus Christ, freedom from sin and guilt, and hope for the future.