By Loxi Hopkins
As we plan our pro-life activities for January in the Social Action Department of the Davenport Diocese, I find myself reflecting on the 20 years I spent as a pro-life counselor and the women who crossed my path.
Three women in particular come to mind. One was a 20-something mother-to-be who decided to make an adoption plan. She lived with my family for four months until she could give birth. I thank God for Catholic Charities in the Peoria (Ill.) Diocese for the counseling she received during her pregnancy so that when the time came to have her baby she was able to make a clear choice. I remember being at the hospital with her the day her beautiful baby girl was born. I was also present on the day she held her baby for the last time and said goodbye. What a beautiful choice she made when she gave her baby an opportunity for a life she wasn’t prepared to provide at that time.
The second young woman was still in her teens. She also lived with my family during her pregnancy. She wavered on whether to keep her baby and finally decided to go through with adoption. I heard from her several years later and she told me that she was married and had two children, but that every day she thought of her first baby. She said she knew she had made the right decision in completing an adoption plan. She said that she had been so young at the time, unmarried and unable to provide the home that her baby deserved.
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to The Catholic Messenger’s e-edition.
