USCCB praises pregnancy help centers for their ‘witness to life’

Ahead of Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) praised pregnancy help centers and their “witness to life” in an Oct. 27 statement.

Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, expressed gratitude for those serving women and families through the approximately 2,750 pregnancy help centers nationwide ahead of the Nov. 9-13 observance.

“During Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, we express our sincere gratitude for all those who work to provide necessary resources to women, babies, and families during pregnancy and beyond,” he said.

Bishop Thomas praised pregnancy help organizations, maternity homes, medical and resource help centers, and adoption agencies for providing “heroic services every day to anyone in need.”

Many pregnancy care centers offer free medical services, including ultrasounds, prenatal and postnatal care, and referrals for free or low-cost childbirth, he noted. Their support also includes baby clothes, diapers, child care, career services, and housing referrals.

The bishop also pointed to the USCCB’s nationwide Walking with Moms in Need initiative, through which parish volunteers support vulnerable women and families.

“May all those who serve and protect life be encouraged by our prayers, our good works and our financial support to build a culture of life,” Bishop Thomas said.

Pro-life efforts will also be on the agenda at the bishops’ Nov. 16-19 Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, where they are expected to consider authorizing an update to their pastoral plan for pro-life activities, as Zeale News previously reported.

The statement also follows USCCB President Archbishop Paul Coakley’s Oct. 14 message, in which he urged Catholics to put their faith before politics and participate in civic life ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

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