“That time in my life was very confusing,” shared Amanda. “I had recently dropped out of college due to stress, anxiety, and depression. And then I found out I was pregnant . . . I just didn’t know what to do.”
Amanda and her boyfriend, Brandon (names changed), came to Care Net feeling nervous, scared, and “a little lost.” They were greeted by “open arms and smiling faces.”
Some people criticize the pro-life movement for caring too much about unborn babies and not enough about their mothers. In my experience, their criticism is unfounded. Pro-lifers DO care about both babies and their mothers.
There really should not have to be a choice between a woman and her child. We as a society should be concerned about the life of both. Yet we realize that there are women facing crisis pregnancies. They are confused, alone, afraid.
Pro-life individuals and organizations are working to change laws and public opinion, and they are making a difference in our state and across our nation.
Wisconsin experienced over a 10 percent decline in abortions in 2014, continuing a trend of fewer abortions during the past five years.
One way this has happened is that lives are being saved — one baby at a time — thanks to the commitment of pro-life pregnancy centers and volunteers.
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| Bishop Robert C. Morlino holds a baby and is surrounded by children from Care Net’s Elizabeth House in Madison. (Contributed photo) |
MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison visited Care Net Pregnancy Center on June 2, surrounded by children of various ages who have lived in the Elizabeth House.
Care Net staff and volunteers were grateful for the opportunity to pray with the bishop. The children received a blessing from Bishop Morlino.
The faithful of the Diocese of Madison, led by the bishop, have provided ongoing support to the Elizabeth House for 10 years. The diocesan partnership with Care Net helped make the Elizabeth House a reality during the capital campaign, and their ongoing investment has helped provide a safe place to make a change for vulnerable moms and babies.
“We are deeply grateful to the Lord that we have the Elizabeth House here,” said the bishop, “in a setting where we can work together as Catholics and other Christians.”
Laudato Si encyclical released |
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All creation sings God’s praise, but people are silencing it, Pope Francis says in his long-awaited encyclical, Laudato Si, on Care for Our Common Home. Click here to read full story. To read Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s comments on the encyclical, click here. |
“We are grateful to Bishop Morlino and the faithful of the Diocese of Madison who have been instrumental in making it possible for women, babies, and families to be changed for generations over the past 10 years,” said Care Net’s Chief Executive Officer Liz Osborn. “We look forward to continuing to provide this safe and nurturing environment together with the diocese in the years ahead.”
The Elizabeth House, Care Net’s nine to 12-month goal-oriented residential maternity and parenting program, is designed to help pregnant women achieve stability and be prepared to care for themselves and their children.
As we look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, it is an opportunity to reflect on motherhood.
Motherhood is something we take for granted. After all, we wouldn’t be here if our mothers didn’t give us life. Yet, motherhood is not a given in society today, especially in our country.
In 2012, I wrote in my “Editor’s View” column that the number of births in the United States had been dropping. Is that trend continuing?
Yes, it is! In checking on statistics for births, I found that our country continues to experience a decline in births. The last statistics I found cover the number of births for the 12-month period ending in June of 2013. That number was 3,932,181, down from the count of 3,952,841 in 2012. This continues the decline in the number of births from the all-time high of 4,316,233 in 2007.
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It’s happened again. The number of abortions in Wisconsin has dropped for the fifth straight year. Nine of the last 10 years have seen a decline in abortions in our state, making Wisconsin one of the most pro-life states in the nation, according to some commentators.
The state Department of Health Services reported that 6,462 abortions were performed last year, down from 6,927 the previous year and about 2,000 less than the 8,500 Wisconsin had in 2009.
“Today is a fantastic news day for Wisconsin women and children,” said Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, when the report was released.
“Our steep abortion decline continues with the release of 2013 abortion numbers which reveal there were 465 fewer abortions in 2013 than in 2012. This represents a 6.7 percent decrease in one year.”
Weininger added, “We are extremely grateful for each and every woman who gives life to her child and each unborn child saved from the violence of abortion. Wisconsin Right to Life will vigorously continue its multi-faceted programs which work to fuel the decline.”
In the 40 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, many people in the Catholic Church have been in the forefront of the pro-life movement to counteract the court’s decision.
Over the years, however, it’s been obvious that people of many different faith traditions have also been involved in defending the right to life. I can remember Lutherans, Baptists, evangelical Christians, and others who attended the annual Respect Life march at our state Capitol in January in past years, followed by an ecumenical prayer service at St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.
This might have been the first time some people of other faiths had entered a Catholic church! We Catholics also had the opportunity to see how other denominations prayed and sang.
People of many different faiths have also been active in pro-life outreach efforts such as CareNet Pregnancy Center, Elizabeth House, Pregnancy Helpline, the Women’s Care Center, and Vigil for Life in the Madison area. I have been impressed by the commitment of so many people to these efforts to assist parents in choosing life for their unborn babies and to help those in need after the babies are born.
MADISON — This coming weekend, dioceses all over the country will be celebrating Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 7, where as Catholics we join together to acknowledge and profess the inestimable value of each and every human being from the moment of conception to natural death.
MADISON — “In 1985, we plan to open a Christian Action Council Crisis Pregnancy Center. The Pregnancy Information Center, as it will be called, will provide Madison with a needed service and give Christians an opportunity to serve the Lord in our own community.”
