One blessing in doing pro-life and pro-family work around the
world is that you meet the greatest human beings and Christians. In many
ways they are all alike in their convictions, their opposition, their
persecution, their problems, and, I might say, their consolations.
- Father Paul Marx, Faithful for Life
Human Life International and the global pro-life movement
have lost a good friend and a dauntless defender of human life. On
August 7, after a short battle with cancer in Moscow's Orthodox St.
Alexei Hospital, Galina Maslennikova passed into eternal life and was
laid to rest at Perepierzinsky Cemetery near Moscow on August 10. Galina
was 68 years old and the mother of two daughters, Oksana and
Aleksandra.
I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
- 2 Timothy 4:7
Galina fought the good fight to the very end of her
life and sacrificed all for love - love for her neighbor. Her last
mission was to Latvia in June where she trained future pro-life leaders.
For more than 20 years Galina, a woman of deep faith with an unwavering
devotion to defending life and family, represented Human Life
International (HLI) in Russia. Her pro-life efforts began when abortion
in Russia was the most popular method of family planning, and the
average woman had seven abortions. She inspired many to see the inherent
dignity of the human person and to defend life from conception to its
natural end. Many pro-life leaders in Eastern Europe began their work
under Galina's tutelage, continuing to build on what they have
received.
