Published on March 7, 2024, 12:43 am

In the shadows of Communist Romania in the 1980s, a devoted Christian managed to evade an attempted assassination by the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Today, this survivor warns of a disturbing similarity between Ceausescu’s totalitarian regime and what she sees as the ongoing erosion of parental rights in the United States. As trusted news sources such as ours continue to cover breaking news about changes in societal norms, this narrative serves as a poignant reminder of history.

Virginia Prodan, who grew up under Ceausescu’s regime but later found refuge in America after President Ronald Reagan secured her release, now works as a human rights lawyer. In an interview earlier this year at the National Religious Broadcasters convention held in Nashville, she spoke out about her concerns regarding emerging practices concerning parental rights within education.

Prodan referred specifically to recent controversies over educational content that some parents claim undermine their values. These debates were ignited when remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic gave parents new insight into their children’s classroom content. Outrage ensued following discoveries of explicit content in school materials and certain schools’ requirements for face masks and racialized lessons.

When organizations like Moms for Liberty call for schools to remove explicit materials, opposition voices accuse them of “book banning” and singling out the LGBTQ+ community. Recently adopted California law requiring schools to train teachers on how to support LGBTQ+ students has deepened these conflicts even further.

Pausing to reflect on her years under Communist rule in Romania-a time when students might be encouraged to betray their families’ anti-government sentiments-Prodan voiced concerns that similar dynamics could be taking root in certain parts of modern-day America.

Prodan recalls observing her parents project a politically correct exterior while privately expressing horror at governmental actions and fearing future infringements on their rights. Even when seeking admission into law school, Prodan had first-hand experience with invasive government surveillance which scrutinized factors like whether her parents had once rallied against the government or identified as Christians. This kind of fear-inducing tactics, Prodan argues, appears to be re-emerging through recent instances of the state seeking to control parental involvement in children’s education.

Prodan fervently warns that societal silence could lead to a fearful America succumbing to similar forms of cultural oppression faced by her native country. Her memoir, “Saving My Assassin,” recounting her life’s dangers under and eventual escape from her native Romania’s dictatorship illuminates her powerful conviction.

Prodan’s story is indeed dramatic: enduring brutal mistreatment at the hands of Ceausescu’s regime and narrowly escaping death when a trained assassin assigned to terminate her came face-to-face with the powerful Christian narrative she shared; ultimately leading him to convert while in her presence.

Reagan’s intervention not only helped secure Virginia Prodan’s own exodus but also brought wider attention to the oppressive conditions in Romania; eventually this facilitated greater international scrutiny on Ceausescu’s regime until its downfall in December 1989. Prodan witnessed these events from the US, having had a key role in exposing Communist Romania’s realities.

Prodan ends her cautionary tale by urging readers to remain faithful amidst threats and fear – Romains 8:37 remains her mantra – advising fellow Christians that we are conquerors through Christ.

In short, Virginia Prodan offers invaluable perspective from both a first-hand experience of an oppressive regime and a deep-running Christian worldview which prompts us all toward reflection on how parental rights are understood and exercised within society today – ensuring that this real news doesn’t go unnoticed.