Join the Diocese in Walking with Moms in Need

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There is much anticipation surrounding the United States Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that could end or strongly curtail the current right to abortion created under Roe v. Wade. While either result adds protection for the right to life, this also will lead to a greater need to accompany women in difficult circumstances.

Regardless of the outcome of the court case, the Diocese of Salt Lake City promotes Walking with Moms in Need, a program that seeks to train pastors and parishioners to be companions on the journey for pregnant women and moms who are struggling to find their way through poverty or domestic violence or post-partum depression, or any other of the host of circumstances that can lead women to seek abortion.

Walking with a mom in need means, first and foremost, listening to her. It requires helping her through her transition to unplanned motherhood. Moms in need may want help accessing services, but also need to be empowered to make decisions about their futures and those of their children or child. Listening without trying to control the woman’s choices is critical.

It is also important to understand the many decisions facing a mom in need. For some, the first questions will be about basic needs for survival: whether she has enough money to get by, a safe place to live and health care, and whether she has other children to care for and supportive relationships to help her reach a more stable situation.

If a woman is in a safe and stable situation, her questions may revolve around her access to assistance, whether from friends and family or government aid. Does she have or require employment? Is her employment status in jeopardy? Yes, discrimination based on pregnancy or motherhood is illegal, but it still occurs, especially in low-wage jobs. What childcare options are available to her? Are the options safe? Affordable? Close to her home or work? Does she need or have the ability to get education or training for a better position with health and childcare access or assistance? Is she suffering from post-partum depression? Does she have the medical care needed to address lingering issues from pregnancy? Do any of her kids have chronic health conditions that require long term care?

To achieve self-sufficiency, a mom in need requires access to a living wage with benefits, whether from her own employment or a spouse’s. Does the family have permanent housing, or are they relying on family or friends? Is the housing adequate for their needs? Is she caring for others, such as an aging parent? Does she have an ongoing support network – community or faith-based structures she can turn to for help? In other words, is she self-sufficient, healthy and safe? Once a mom in need reaches this stage, she should have built a support structure she can turn to should unforeseen circumstances occur that may cause setbacks but shouldn’t knock her off her feet.

On occasion, walking with moms in need may actually mean a hike or a brisk walk in the park, but life throws wrenches at all of us on occasion. When life is just overwhelming, each of us should be able to turn to our parish communities for support, if they are truly living the Gospel. Walking with Moms in Need is also a chance for us as parishes to more fully use the gifts within our communities to create resources where none might otherwise exist.

Being willing and prepared to walk with parishioners in need is not a new ministry, but an integral part of who we are as Catholics.  

Jean Hill is director of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Office of Life, Justice and Peace. Reach her at jean.hill@dioslc.org.