Saving Lives and Providing Assistance to
S
The Women’s Hel
ometimes it’s easy to tune out information that’s Such was the case for Our Lady Star of the Sea difficult or unpleasant. It’s easier to stay in our parishioner John Clegg. Although he had always comfortable world, giving little or no attention to things considered himself pro-life, John was startled when that don’t appear to directly affect us. But sometimes, another parishioner and our pastor at the time asked we’re forced out of our rosy lives, coming face to face him to serve as the coordinator of our Respect Life with the reality surrounding us. Ministry. It wasn’t long before something changed inside him. “That really expanded my knowledge quite dramatically about the life issue,” John says. “I was reading a lot of material and trying to make myself as knowledgeable as possible, and the more I read, the more I realized that the life issue is the human rights issue of our time, with well over a million innocent children dying in the womb, every year, in the United States.” Several years later, John was asked to serve on the board of the Women’s Help Center, a crisis pregnancy center, with three locations in Jacksonville. The Women’s Help Center has been serving women in Jacksonville for over 30 years, with their primary location downtown, on University Boulevard. The location is intentional, situated within half a mile of several downtown abortion clinics. Services offered at Women’s Help Center include free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, as well as material and financial support for pregnant mothers. “The young women who come in, they’re in a crisis,” John says. “They’re very fearful. Often, they don’t have the support of their boyfriend or family members. Sometimes it’s a situation where [someone] is coercing her to get the abortion, and sometimes it can be even Kelly had an appointment to abort Kyla, but instead chose life after worse than that — it can be a situation where domestic coming to Women’s Help Center. In addition to receiving counseling violence is involved. and ultrasounds, all of which were provided at no cost, Kelly received “We bring the young woman into a safe environment a tremendous amount of financial and material support. Women’s to chat with her about the difficulties and crisis she is Help Center, the Knights of Columbus, and St. Vincent de Paul facing,” he adds. “We’ll do anything we can to help and in Jacksonville Beach worked together to provide an apartment, furniture, clothing, food, and other support for Kelly and her family. support them in whatever difficulties they’re facing.”
4
