Legend teaches us a beautiful story about St. Lawrence, who lived during the persecution of Christians in Rome in the mid-200s. As an archdeacon of the Church, Lawrence was responsible for taking care of the material goods of the Church and for distributing resources to the poor. Knowing this, the government had him arrested. He was told that he would be spared execution for being a Christian if he gathered the wealth of the Church and brought it before the judge. Lawrence said that he would need three days to do this. Three days later, when he returned, he brought with him the poor, the sick, the crippled, and the orphaned. When the judge asked where the treasure was, Lawrence responded, “These are the treasures of the Roman Church.”

Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, I have been thinking a lot about Lawrence’s quote, and I would add that pregnant moms, their babies, and moms struggling to make ends meet are also the treasures of the Church. And just as St. Lawrence protected the vulnerable, so must we.

As pro-life people, we know and are aware that there are countless services and organizations that care for moms and babies every day. Yet the misinformation and the vitriol spread since the Dobbs decision tells the lie that pro-life people only care about the baby before he/she is born and not after. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are literally thousands of pro-life pregnancy centers that help mothers and their babies. They help with both material needs and financial needs, and some even offer assistance to help pay bills or find moms and their children a place to live. In addition, there are countless Catholic parishes and churches of other denominations that sponsor diaper and clothing drives to help benefit local pregnancy resource centers. And there are maternity homes for women who have nowhere to go. The assistance most certainly does not stop when a vulnerable woman has her baby.

Understanding this, I want to share some amazing resources. Though there are thousands more than 10, I will highlight these 10 to show that a pro-lifer’s work does not stop when the woman walks away from the abortion clinic.

1. Let’s start with a drive to gather donations for a pregnancy help center in Houston, Texas. A Moms of Teens group at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church is putting its faith into action by organizing a drive to collect items for new moms in need. This group wants to show these women and children that they are cared for and loved.

2. The Warrenton Pregnancy Center in Warrenton, Virginia, helps moms and babies every day by offering free ultrasounds, prenatal education, material resources, adoption information, and more. The success stories have been incredibly inspirational. One such story tells of a woman named Ashley, who found herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. When she discovered the Warrenton Pregnancy Center, she was not only given the tools she needed to become a successful mom, but she found the inner strength to do so. Today, she gives back by volunteering at the center helping other moms and babies. Like the staff at WPC, she is truly a treasure of the Church.

3. Members of the Knights of Columbus work every day to “change hearts and minds about abortion by showing that [they love] both mother and child before and after birth.” Local councils regularly provide financial and material assistance to pro-life pregnancy centers in their areas that help women during pregnancy and following the birth of their babies.

4. Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home in Warsaw, North Dakota, is a home for moms and babies who have nowhere else to go. Residents live together as a family and can stay up to three years. According to a Celebrate Life Magazine article, “Some residents study during the day to earn their high school or college diplomas or a trade, while others take prenatal or parenting classes or care for their little ones. No mothers or babies are ever pushed out of the nest prematurely to make way for more pregnant women.” This beautiful home teaches moms and babies the importance of family and helps them improve their lives so that they can eventually live on their own.

5. The Northwest Center in Washington, DC, has served moms and babies in the DC community for over 40 years. In 2020, the center’s ministries helped 923 people: 526 children, 373 women, and 24 men. That same year, the center gave out almost 53,000 diapers and almost 36,000 infant and maternity items to needy families. In addition, the center helps both men and women by finding resources for them within their communities.  

6. The Archdiocese of Boston provides a wide range of free assistance to mothers and babies. This includes pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, education about baby care and pregnancy, information regarding adoption, and material assistance.

7. Mother and Unborn Baby Care is a service of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, that provides material and financial assistance to moms and their babies. To date, it has helped save over 9,000 babies from abortion.

8. Heartbeat International is an “interdenominational Christian association of faith-based pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and nonprofit adoption agencies endorsed by Christian leaders nationwide.” According to its site, Heartbeat International has not only strengthened but started organizations that help women in surprise or difficult pregnancies, “including pregnancy medical clinics, pregnancy resource centers,  maternity homes, and adoption agencies all over the world. Currently, Heartbeat serves over 3,000 affiliate locations on all six inhabited continents to provide alternatives to abortion.”

9. Mary’s Mantle is a home for expectant mothers in Southfield, Michigan. Since its opening in 2010, it has served dozens of pregnant and homeless mothers as they work to get back on their feet.

10. JMJ Maternity Homes is a Catholic maternity home in California that provides homeless pregnant women with shelter, food, clothing, medical assistance, case management services, classes, and more.

These organizations, their staff, and those who support them understand that family is the foundation of society and that, when we kill the most vulnerable among us—our babies—we tear down that very foundation and destroy families. But when we serve moms and babies with love and compassion, we not only help them improve their lives and the lives of their children, but we help them understand that they truly are treasures of the Church.

This article first appeared in LifeSiteNews at lifesitenews.com/opinion/dont-believe-pro-abortion-lies-pro-lifers-do-care-for-mothers-and-babies-at-all-stages-of-life/?utm_source=home_opinion&utm_campaign=usa.