ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ LAUNCHES
VIRTUAL COMMUNITY TO SAVE REAL LIVES
Archbishop José H. Gomez, joined by health leaders, mothers and babies, launched a digital App designed to offer prayers, resources and support for thousands of women and girls nationwide in crisis pregnancies. Today’slaunch, atGuadalupe Medical Centerin the Los Angeles community of Koreatown, coincides with the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
“Today we are taking a big step to expand our circle of care and concern for unborn children and their mothers,” said Archbishop Gomez, from the Guadalupe Medical Center prayer room. “Through this App we are launching today, we are creating a network of prayer and practical support to help women facing crisis pregnancies. This App will also engage Catholics and others, especially our young people, in the great spiritual work of praying and building a true culture of life here in Los Angeles and throughout our nation.”
The Archdiocese’s Office of Life, Justice and Peace has partnered with Options United, a Pasadena-based nonprofit, on the App available on smartphones and iPads by visiting www.optionsunited.org.
The Options United App lists services such as free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and post-abortion healing. App users, including friends and relatives of expectant mothers, are also just a click away to send a call for prayers to support pregnant women and girls in their decisions.
At the press event, Archbishop Gomez launched the App by sharing it on his Facebook page and asking followers to join thevirtual community and share the App with their family and friends.
Archbishop Gomez was joined by Jaime Hernandez, President of Manto de Guadalupe, Astrid Bennett, Executive Director, Los Angeles Pregnancy Services and Thomas Rudkins, of Options United.
“When a woman is pregnant and considering abortion, not only does she need help. But TWO PEOPLE need help—mother and child,” Bennett said.
Archbishop Gomez was also joined by mothers, children and two women, Irene Beltran and Estella Piña, who delivered post-abortion testimonials.
“I did not have my abortion because of freedom of choice,” Beltran said. “I had my abortion because I felt I had no freedom, no choice. I have suffered from depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. Abortion is not a quick fix, but instead a lifetime of consequences. Not just for the mother, but for her entire family.”
Pi√±a said after her abortion she “began to drink heavily to suppress my feelings and soon began experimenting with drugs.”
“I tried to convince myself that this day never happened,” Pi√±a said today. “I began to call God for help. As I became more involved with pro-life, I learned about pro-life centers and how they help women with a crisis in pregnancy. I couldn’t believe these types of centers existed. If only I had known I could have made a different choice.”
The southern California region of the App includes 78 pregnancy centers in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and neighboring dioceses that include the following counties: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial counties. People, pregnancy centers and pro-life resources nationwide are invited to register.
The App was prompted by national statistics reporting about 1.2 million abortions per year. (Source: Guttmacher Institute.) In Southern California, about 220 abortions happen daily.
“Unity and prayer are the building blocks of a culture of life,” Rudkins said before demonstrating the Options United App today. “We believe that thousands of people praying while united to local pregnancy centers can effectively and dramatically reduce the occurrence of abortion in our neighborhoods.”
CONTACT:
Monica Valencia, [email protected], (310) 714-0503
Doris Benavides, [email protected], (310) 221-2948
