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"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

 

Roe is gone. Now what?

Laura DeMaria

With Roe v. Wade overturned, and the so-called right to abortion deemed nonexistent, it may seem that the pro-life movement’s work is done. To the contrary! We’re just getting started.

Now, I realize not everyone in the Catholic Church up to this point has felt personally called to serve in pro-life work or is interested in following the state and national politics and policy involved. Or, maybe with this historic ruling, you are only now coming to see that maybe it’s time you did have a role in creating a culture of life.

And it’s true - you do! The biggest answer to the “what comes after Roe” question really is, “Now we create a true culture of life.” One that supports every human from birth to natural death, from the children and mothers in difficult situations, to disabled humans viewed by society as an annoyance, to the elderly looking for someone to help them find meaning at the end of life. And when we talk about babies and mothers, there are so many pregnancy centers and other resources that exist, which would flourish with the addition of new supporters’ gifts.

Here are a few things you can do to effect the culture of life right where you live.

  1. Donate. This one is easy. If you don’t have the time, talent, or interest to volunteer with a pregnancy center, find the closest one and set up a monthly recurring donation. Even $5 a month would help. You could, as Ryan Anderson suggested, donate $6.24, $62.40, or $624 (or more) in honor of the June 24 date that Roe was overturned. You can find your local pregnancy center here.

  2. Volunteer. Bring your parish, your neighborhood friends, your girlfriends, your kids, whoever - and dedicate your volunteer work to your closest pregnancy center. They need volunteers for everything from manning the front desk and organizing donations, to finding volunteers who can provide career counseling to expectant and new moms.

  3. Connect with your parish’s pro-life committee, or if there isn’t one, start one. These committees are typically responsible for setting up fundraisers or charity drives, especially around the holidays, to support and pray for pro-life work. They also support post-abortive healing ministries like Project Rachel.

  4. Learn. Read and learn about why the sanctity of life from conception is such a big deal, to the Catholic Church, but as a basic human reality. Live Action, the March for Life, Charlotte Lozier Institute, and the numerous pro-life organizations in this country have tons of resources.

  5. Think beyond crisis pregnancy centers and apply all of the above - especially donations of time and talent - to foster care organizations, and homes for single mothers. Are you aware of homes for single mothers in crisis pregnancies? Many women end up in a crisis pregnancy because the child’s father is abusive, their own family rejects them, they are being trafficked, and so on. They have no one, and nowhere to go. What happens to the little family after the child is born must be equally life-affirming as the care the mother receives before birth. Similarly, the removal of abortion as an on-demand form of birth control in many states will have an impact on men. I am still researching it, but I know there are organizations dedicated to helping men step up and understand how to be fathers. Again, apply all of the above to these worthy organizations helping rid our country of a crisis of fatherlessness.

  6. Pray. Pray that life will continue to be protected, that society will move in such a way to provide the needed safety nets for mother and children, that we may have hearts like Jesus’s to love those who disagree with us, and that their own hearts would be moved to recognize abortion is not the solution to the problem.

So - get ready. The country is getting ready to change, including in ways we will not even potentially understand for another generation. And I sincerely believe that we as a country and society will be called to respond with greater generosity in many ways. Indeed, as children of the Church, I am realizing how it really is all of our duty to create this “culture of life.” We are God’s tools here on earth to make his dream for humanity a reality.

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