An initiative that has been growing in populatirty since 1991, The Spiritual Adoption Program is a way for Catholics and pro-life advocates to peacefully get the word out
on abortion.

St. Anthony of Padua Church will begin the program by handing out adoption packages beginning on the weekend of April 23. The program has three goals, which are encouraging prayers for babies in danger of abortion and their parents, to educate adults and children about fetal development and to provide assistance to mothers having a baby shower at the end of the nine
month program.

There are women that struggle with having children, and this program is designed to help counsel women through pregnancy.

Dawnell Anders, secretary of St. Anthony of Padua Church,  has been a part of the program for years and continues to get the word out about abortion and the process women go through.

“We want to go down a different avenue, not getting in someone’s face at an abortion clinic and saying, ‘Hey you can’t do that!”’ Anders said. “It doesn’t solve anything. We’re not the judge. So this is a more peaceful way to support the prolife issues. It’s a softer, and more prayerful approach.”

Parishioners are asking people to pray for those nine months for the families contemplating their choices of pregnancy. At the end of the nine months they want to throw a baby shower through The Women for Life Center in Metairie. They counsel women, have ultrasounds and help women and girls through their pregnancy. They also will provide onesies, bottles and car seats for women who choose to keep their babies.

Doris Bahr, St. Anthony of Padua parishioner, also went in depth about how the topic of abortion isn’t just a topic of faith anymore, but also science. Doris and her son are both involved in the spiritual adoption program.

“I’m going to encourage him to adopt his little adoption kit, so that we can pray every day for another child’s life,” Bahr said. “I think this is great because it brings awareness to the Catholic Church and what we believe in. Even before there’s life, even for that one cell, we protect that life.”

Christie Huff, St. Anthony of Padua’s bookkeeper, said that keeping a cool head and making drastic decisions won’t help anything. She said the Catholic Church doesn’t believe that abortion is a form of birth control, and she believes the number of options to prevent pregnancy are excessive.

“A lot of women feel as if they don’t have any choices in this situation; you need to make a choice before and not after you do something,” Huff said. “There are too many ways to prevent pregnancy. You don’t need to be drastic after the fact. We have to save them. We have to save life. That’s what our goal is.”

St. Anthony of Padua’s spiritual adoption program will conclude on Jan. 22, 2017 with the baby shower, and any donations will go to The Woman’s New Life Center in
Metairie.