Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Program Assists Pregnant Women
Councils Provide Funds to Pregnancy Centers for New Medical Technology
On January 22, 2009, the 36th 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.
As of April 2013, numerous local and state councils have qualified for matching funds from the Supreme Council towards the purchase of over 334 ultrasound machines at a cost of over $8.5 million, with additional state and local council fund raising campaigns for ultrasound machine purchases either in-progress or to be launched 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 percent 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.”
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 of Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties watch as Reverend Richard Klingeisen blesses the new Ultrasound machine for The Crossing Medical Clinic in Manitowoc. Pictured (L-R) are George Levande, Donald Steffen, Grand Knight Francis Goettl, Grand Knight Len Gatien, Reverend Richard Klingeisen, Jim Schnell, Al Bertler, and Gary Hughes.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
Sue and Stacy - The Crossing Nurse Manager Stacy Haas, R.N. (L) and Executive Director Sue Tomasik (R) accept the donation of the Ultrasound Machine from the Knights of Columbus.