On Thursday, July 14, 2022, Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama blessed an ultrasound machine donated by the Knights of Columbus councils from St. Francis and Our Lady of Lourdes to Birthchoice, a nonprofit, pro-life, crisis pregnancy clinic that has been supporting pregnant women in the Triangle area since 1971.
Since 2009, the Knights of Columbus have been helping to save the lives of the unborn with their Ultrasound Initiative, which provides ultrasound machines to qualified, pro-life pregnancy centers. According to the Knights of Columbus, ultrasound technology has proven to be one of the most effective tools to empower women with crisis pregnancies to choose life. Calling it a “window to the womb,” when a woman considering abortion can see her unborn child and hear the heartbeat, her perspective often changes. Because of this initiative, thousands of mothers nationwide have decided to have their babies.
The team at Birthchoice has seen firsthand the impact that ultrasound technology can have in the lives of pregnant women who are thinking about having an abortion or don’t have the resources to continue with their pregnancy.
“The numbers of women seeking help has increased 16%, and this new machine represents the opportunity to bring our costs down, plus we’ll be able to obtain better image quality,” said Mona Saul, Birthchoice executive director. “Our goal is to help as many abortion-minded and vulnerable women to choose life,” said Saul.
Bishop Luis blessed the new ultrasound machine upon its arrival. After the blessing, Raymond Malouf, chairman of the board of directors for Birthchoice of Wake County, thanked the Knights of Columbus councils for their generous donation and Bishop Luis for his continued support to promote life in Eastern North Carolina.
Bishop Luis said that the new ultrasound machine was going to be a great gift for all the women who were going to have the possibility to see their babies. He gave thanks to everyone who contributed. Following his blessing of the ultrasound machine, he offered a prayer for all unborn children.
“More than 1500 ultrasound machines have been placed in pregnancy centers around the country that share the Knights’ values,” said Kent Siefkes, Culture of Life Director for the Saint Francis Knights of Columbus Council 9709. “Our Council, along with Council of Our Lady of Lourdes, raised money to obtain a match that made it possible to purchase the ultrasound machine.”
Upon qualification of a pregnancy center’s eligibility by the local Knights council and approval by the local diocese, US Ultrasound works with the center’s administration to discuss the best ultrasound equipment options within an established budget range to help meet the needs of expectant mothers and their babies. The average cost of an ultrasound machine is about $30,000.
For more information and to find out how you can support these efforts, please visit the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative or Birthchoice.
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