Building the Culture of Life

T he Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops emphasizes the pastoral role that pregnancy clinics serve in helping to build a culture of life.

These clinics offer women and families facing an unplanned pregnancy life-affirming services to help them choose life for their child.

Surveys of women who have chosen abortion show that most of these women felt that they had no other choice due to a variety of pressures. Caring, compassionate, nonjudgmental services offered by pregnancy clinics show women how to choose life and provide them with needed support. Pregnancy clinics have played a very important role in reducing the number of abortions.

A recent study by local Catholic Charities and Vitae Caring Foundation showed that there are an inadequate number of pregnancy centers serving the Kansas City metro area. As a result of this situation, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph have recently given their support to efforts to explore the feasibility of creating a network of pregnancy clinics to include the existing Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic and two new clinics desired to be located near two Planned Parenthood locations. This network would include both dioceses because it would cover portions of both Kansas and Missouri in the metro area.

The largest abortion clinic in Kansas is Planned Parenthood, located at 4401 W. 109th in Overland Park. This is a large regional abortion mill performing several thousand abortions per year, and there is no pregnancy clinic located nearby. The other Planned Parenthood location is at 1001 E. 47th in Kansas City, Mo., and there is a shortage of life-affirming pregnancy services available in the area.

Interestingly, this pregnancy network would be ecumenical in nature — people of various faiths would come together as the Body of Christ to provide these services.

This network is envisioned to provide varied and high-quality assistance. Sonograms (ultrasounds) are among the key services that are planned to be offered. Sonograms dispel the deceptive language of the abortion industry that it is not a baby but only a blob of cells or tissue. With a sonogram, the mother is provided a picture of her baby. Approximately 80 percent of mothers who see a sonogram of their child choose life. Among the other services to be offered is Project Rachel, a ministry providing post-abortion healing.

Please pray to Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Life, and ask for her help in building this network. If you would like to be involved or support this effort in any way, please contact me at (913) 647-0350 or e-mail to: prolife @archkck.org.

Ron Kelsey is the archdiocesan consultant for the pro-life office.