Pro-life beyond birth and Dobbs

A major landmark case is currently under review at the United States Supreme Court, and the outcome of the court’s decision will determine the fate of the Roe vs. Wade case that legalized abortions in the United States in 1973. No matter the outcome, pro-life organizations in North Dakota will continue, as they have done for years, to offer services to women who choose not to abort their children.

The case under consideration is from the state of Mississippi. Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization challenges a state law that prohibits abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. According to a Nov. 30, 2021 news article from the Catholic News Agency: “The case centers on the question of ‘Whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional,’ or whether states can ban abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb. The case challenges two landmark abortion cases that Mississippi calls “egregiously wrong:” Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey.” The State of Mississippi argues there is nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition that supports a right to an abortion.

The court decision on the Dobbs case—as it is most commonly called—will more than likely be announced at the end of the court’s current term in June. If Roe and Casey are overturned, abortion law would be left to each individual state to decide. It’s estimated that 26 states would certainly or likely ban abortion.

“We could see a situation where a state like North Dakota has very restricted abortions or even no abortions and a state like Minnesota allowing easy access to abortion,” said Tim Mosser, director of the Diocese of Fargo Respect Life office. “If that’s the case, there are several places women may continue to go for help after their babies are born, dispelling the pro-abortion myth that the Church and pro-life organizations are only interested in banning abortions and do nothing for women after they give birth.”

Walking With Moms in Need

Walking with Moms in Need is a United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ initiative that started in February 2020 as a year-of-service project. The program has now been extended indefinitely. The program encourages Catholic parishes and communities to “walk in the shoes” of local pregnant and parenting women in need. Walking with Moms in Need supports local pregnancy centers where they exist, and also finds and shares other resources with pregnant and parenting women.

“With the possibility of the abortion landscape changing and giving power back to individual states, the Walking with Moms in Need initiative is even more important now,” said Mosser. “The beauty of Walking with Moms in Need is that it partners with already-existing resources, but adds unique local, community, and parish resources provided by people right in their own area. It is a great example of subsidiarity and grassroots evangelization and service.”

Mosser says there are several parishes in the Fargo Diocese that have built a strong Walking with Moms in Need ministry. One parish in particular has about a half-dozen teams of 6-8 people who are ready to provide support and accompany women and families facing difficult situations with young families or unborn children.

Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home

A visible outreach for pregnant women is located about a 30 minute drive from Grand Forks—the Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home in Warsaw. St. Gianna’s is named after the modern-day Italian saint who, when told delivering her child could result in her death, St. Gianna went ahead with the birth anyway. St. Gianna died during that child’s birth, but the daughter she bore lives on, and is a fierce international pro-life advocate. Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home provides shelter, food, clothing, education, and counseling, while addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of women in crisis pregnancies as an alternative to abortion.

Pregnancy, Parenting, and Adoption Services

Catholic Charities North Dakota has a program called PPAS, which stands for Pregnancy, Parenting, and Adoption Services. PPAS provides counselors who help mothers make decisions on parenting education and preparation, adoption education and planning, finding qualified adoptive families, community resource referrals, and services for both the expectant mother and the father of the child.

PPAS also provides help with basic needs and baby supplies. On April 9, PPAS hosted hundreds of “shoppers” at the bi-annual “Bundle Up Your Baby Bump” event at Shanley High School in Fargo. Women and their families in need of baby items were invited to choose from thousands of donated items free of charge. Another event is planned for November.

Women’s Care Centers of North Dakota

Although not affiliated with the Diocese of Fargo, Women’s Care Centers, located in Fargo, Bismarck, and Devils Lake, provide free, confidential counseling, support and education for pregnant women. Free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds help determine viability and dates of delivery. Prenatal medical care and abortions are not provided at the centers.

Among the counseling services provided, expectant mothers are given information on resources on where to go for the help they may need if they decided to keep their child. The centers also give counseling on the facts surrounding abortions, but in a way that helps mothers better understand the dangers surrounding the medical procedure or the RU486 abortion pill. The center’s counselors use that information to help expectant mothers make the right decisions for themselves and their babies.

No matter the outcome of the Dobbs decision in June, these and other services have been and will always be available to women who are trying to make the best choice for themselves and their babies. Information on these services are available by calling the Fargo Diocese Respect Life Office at (701) 356-7910 or at Catholic Charities North Dakota at (701) 235-4457.