Youth Blog

Rachel Roumelis at the National March for Life, May 11, 2023, Ottawa, Canada. 

May 31, 2023 (Campaign Life Coalition) – At the National March for Life earlier this month, a young woman in white laid down, prostrate, in front of angry, pro-abortion counter-protesters to quietly pray for them, asking God to convert their hearts and save them.

On May 11, thousands of Canadians gathered in Ottawa to show their support for the right to life of all human beings; to oppose abortion and rampant euthanasia. Two-thirds of Parliament Hill was sectioned off by police for the pro-life rally prior to the march, and another third was given to counter-protesters. The pro-abortion counter-protesters were dwarfed by the thousands of pro-life Canadians who were present at the event. Many of the abortion enthusiasts hurled angry chants, insults, and obscene language at the pro-life demonstrators, many of whom were families with young children. Provocative comments were made towards many of the Christians in attendance, possibly with the hope of stirring a fiery and angry altercation.

The pro-choice side on the left faces the pro-life side at the National March for Life, May 11, 2023, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada.

Some shouted “my body, my choice,” defending the killing of preborn babies. Many held signs with messages such as: “Abortion access saves lives”; “Misogyny kills more than abortion”; and “You can’t ban abortions, you can only ban safe ones.” A biological woman who had undergone breast-reduction surgery walked around shirtless, showing the scars of the operation. This small group of protesters yelled ferociously in an attempt to drown out the pro-life event and, in their eyes, ardently protect what they perceive to be their rights.

The pro-choice side at the National March for Life, May 11, 2023, Ottawa, Canada. 

A tempting response to this hatred would indeed have been for the pro-life attendees to fire back with insults and angry chanting of their own. They had more than sufficient numbers to drown out the chants declaring that the ending of the life of the unborn is a human right, but that isn’t what happened. Instead, the pro-life side was full of people praying, some of them reciting the Catholic prayer of the rosary. They invoked God and the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of those standing across from them.

One woman who exemplified this was Rachel Roumelis, a 20-year-old from Toronto. As the pro-abortion activists raised their voices in volume and intensity, Rachel felt moved by the Spirit of God to lay down on the ground on the pro-life side with her head facing the angry activists.

“First, I was interceding for them and praying in the spirit, but then God told me to get down, prostrate, and to worship Him,” she told Pete Baklinski of Campaign Life Coalition, in an interview following the rally on the Hill.

“I saw Jesus on the cross in between us. He shed his blood for all of us...for the salvation of all of our souls. God loves all of us so much...I believe God, that He will save them and that God’s purposes will prevail,” she said.

Rachel Roumelis laying prostrate on the pro-life side at the National March for Life, May 11, 2023, Ottawa, Canada.

The Christian worldview is that Christ died with love for everyone, to save everyone, all of whom are sinners of their own accord. Rachel's care for all sides of the march was radically and amazingly consistent with the way in which Christians are called to live and approach those who hate them. There existed not only a lack of hate for the counter-protesters, but a profound love for them.

“The love of Christ is waiting to overtake them with His mercy,” Rachel said in the interview.

Rachel said that she understood why the pro-abortion activists came to this event, but she disagreed with the perspective that they had on abortion. “On the other side of the fence are protesters protesting for what they believe are their human rights to choose to make their own decision, but obviously we know that they are lost – they're lost in sin and they’re lost in the world.”

Referring to Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Rachel said that the battle being fought for life is not against flesh and blood, referring to the counter-protesters, but a spiritual battle against Satan.

“So, when you see people shouting or cursing and getting angry, it’s spirits inside them getting angry. So, we know that we don’t war against flesh and blood,” she said.   

Dr. Haywood Robinson, a former abortionist, echoed Rachel’s beautiful message while speaking to the pro-life crowd on the Hill.  “We fight not against flesh and blood. This is a spiritual battle. It is not a political battle. It's not a social battle,” he said.

Dr. Haywood Robinson speaks during the rally at the National March for Life, May 11, 2023, Ottawa, Canada. 

As someone who once committed abortions, Dr. Robinson said that he knows “what that mindset is like,” referring to the loud pro-abortion crowd. "I thank the Lord for, one day, turning me from darkness to light, to letting me see.”  Robinson encouraged pro-lifers to continue to fight for life. “When we march today, just remember we march forward... we're going to continue to walk ahead into a promised land, a promised land where all life is respected...we're going to march for life, we're going to march for victory. And to God be the glory!”

Rachel, along with all the other pro-lifers on the Hill, took up Dr. Robinson’s call to action, and joined in the march. The response of prayer and love instead of hatred and anger from people like Rachel is truly commendable. Her example demonstrates an attitude and approach towards the conflict of the day which, in general, all can strive to imitate.