Cultivating an Atmosphere of Life: The Fight for Equity
The Pro-Life/Pro-Choice debate has been pretty much at a stalemate since Roe v. Wade. Although every woman’s situation is different, we can address one thing both sides generally have in common here. And that is that women deserve adequate support and representation in the most challenging moments of their lives. The question is: what kind of support?
Let’s face it. The world is a difficult place for mothers. We’re Catholic, so let’s take the fight for equity a step further. If we want to fight the symptoms of a bigger problem, we have to start from the beginning by creating a culture and an atmosphere that is understanding and supportive of all women. We could consider fighting for affordable maternity care, advocacy for sexual assault victims, affordable mental health counseling, affordable childcare, paid family medical leave, access to safe housing, and a reformed foster care system. If we want to reduce abortions, we have to reduce the demand for them.
So, here at home, what else can we do? Although we only have four abortion facilities in Louisiana, we have 37 life-affirming pregnancy care centers. But these centers need help to give help. When you donate to Pro-Life organizations, you provide resources to these pregnant women who need them most.
Mary’s House provides counseling services, free ultrasounds, baby showers through Embrace Grace, and support for local mothers. You can donate baby clothes and contribute to the second collection beginning October 16th. (See pg. 10 for more information.)
You can also donate to Gabriel’s Closet, a ministry of Catholic Charities of North Louisiana. Gabriel’s Closet offers resources such as “pack ‘n play cribs, baby beds, high chairs, car seats, strollers, walkers, and more, as well as a large selection of gently-used or brand-new clothing, diapers, ointments, bottles, and pacifiers.” (https://ccnla.org/gabriels-closet/). They offer parenting and budgeting classes and other educational resources in exchange for supplies, which is a part of their mission to offer a “help-up, not a handout.”
This is the time to focus all of our energy on supporting pregnant women here at home. It’s not enough to repost Pro-Life statuses on Facebook and contribute to the endless digital chatter. What pregnant women need is practical support from society as a whole. So let’s not just fix a law. Let’s fix a culture.