Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Program Assists Pregnant Women
Councils Provide Funds to Pregnancy Centers for New Medical Technology
From left are Florida State Deputy James Schonefeld, Faithful Navigator Dewey Marshall, Women’s Help Center President Roy Provost, Father Edward W. Murphy, spiritual director of the center, center Diector Roy Hatten, Supreme Director Dennis J. Stoddard and Lloyd Belson.
From left are Choices Medical Clinic Treasurer Bob Sinclair, Board Chairman Brad Sherman, Development Director Rachel Owen, Iowa State Deputy Pat O’Keefe, Supreme Director David A. Bellendier and State Warden Joe Ramirez.
On January 22, 2009, the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand, the Knights of Columbus launched a new initiative aimed at providing women considering abortion a new way of viewing the life within them.
On that day, the K of C Supreme Council matched funds raised by Knights in Florida and Iowa to provide two pregnancy care centers complete funding for the acquisition of ultrasound machines that will help the centers to provide for the health of both mother and child. Since then, funding has been provided for the purchase of machines in several other jurisdictions, with many other state and local councils launching fund raising campaigns for ultrasound machine purchases in the near future.
Ultrasound exams, which are medically indicated throughout pregnancy for a variety of diagnostic reasons, use ultrasound waves to scan a women’s abdomen, creating a picture or “sonogram” of the baby in her uterus. Without K of C support, most pregnancy care centers would be unable to purchase the ultrasound machines, each costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Reports indicate that up to 90% of women considering an abortion choose to have their baby after seeing an ultrasound image. They hear their baby’s heartbeat, they see their baby’s head and fingers. They know it is a child, not a “choice.”
State and local councils desiring to participate in the Ultrasound Initiative should refer to the Ultrasound Initiative Guidelines for program requirements. Councils must raise half of the funds for purchase of an ultrasound machine before submitting an Ultrasound Initiative Application to the Supreme Council Office for matching funds. The answers to some “Frequently Asked Questions” provide additional information about the program.
The sophistication of today’s medical technology provides a “window on the womb” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. “Even from the early stages of pregnancy, a mother can see her developing child, hear the baby’s heartbeat, and to recognize the miracle of the new life within her.”
The Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative seeks to provide medically certified pro-life pregnancy centers with the modern technology to monitor the health of babies in utero, and to allow mothers to visually experience their development.
The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest lay Catholic organization with more than 1.75 million members worldwide. Last year, Knights gave more than 68 million hours of their time to charitable causes and donated more than $144 million to charity.