Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green, popular Orthodox Christian speaker, author, and pro life advocate, made our Seminary's participation in the 41st March for Life in Washington, D.C. very special this year. Not only did she travel with St. Vladimir's Seminary's contingent to the nation's capital for the March—which annually marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all fifty states—but she also gave an informal talk on campus the prior evening, concerning her own history with the pro life movement. She especially addressed members of the St. Ambrose Society, a student-led group that organizes the Seminary's participation in the March, and which is dedicated to promoting awareness about pro life issues from cradle to grave.
"When I was a college student and a feminist in the early '70s, there were no sonograms, and we couldn't view the life in the womb," noted Kh. Frederica in her talk. "We used the phrase 'a glob of tissue' to describe the unborn child; it seemed absurd that people would be sentimental about this."
Then, she said, a pregnant friend showed her a flier chronicling the progress of a growing baby. She was stunned by the hidden beauty and perfection of the tiny life.
"I began to realize that abortion was becoming a big funnel to dispose of the problems caused by promiscuity and unplanned pregnancies—nobody's life had to change because the whole thing could remain a secret. Why had we feminists decided this was okay?" she related.
Khouria Frederica went on to serve with pro life advocacy groups and published numerous books and articles on related topics, including Real Choices: Listening to Women; Looking for Alternatives to Abortion. She continually advocates for awareness of pro life issues within Orthodox Christian circles, drawing from history to illustrate that "Christians stood against infanticide and abortion from the beginning." Although she cites statistics indicating that younger Americans have become more and more pro life (American Grace, 2010), she still believes "there is much to be done in church circles regarding pro life issues."
Along with her husband, The Very Rev. Gregory Mathewes-Green, Kh. Frederica serves the community of Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in Linthicum, MD. View details of Orthodox Christians participating in this year's March for Life on oca.org.
