New Bronx Crisis Pregnancy Center Gives Women Place to Pray

by John Burger, Catholic New York (Jan. 4, 2001)

Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Garmendia, vicar of the South Bronx and pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas parish, recently blessed a chapel in a new crisis pregnancy center at 344. E. 149th St.

The center opened Dec. 12 and is the sixth established by Expectant Mother Care (EMC), which has given thousands of women pro-life alternatives since it was founded by Christopher T. Slattery in 1985.

Bishop Garmendia also blessed a new wing in the agency's original South Bronx center, at 355 E. 149th St., which opened five years ago. In a homily during Mass Dec. 22, he told EMC staff and supporters that, just as Mary in the Magnificat said, "All generations shall call me blessed," they are blessed because they "give life to the poor people." The centers serve mostly low-income African-American and Hispanic women.

"Just by saving one life, you give so much glory to God," the bishop said.

You can listen, here, to an excerpt from Bishop Garmendia's homily:

The chapel looks out on East 149th Street to a Planned Parenthood facility across the street, where abortions are performed. "We're using the best approach to save mothers and their unborn babies, which is prayer and good works," Slattery told CNY. "We want mothers to be as close to Jesus as possible. We'll invite them to the chapel to pray over their decision."

Expectant Mother Care has entered into a relationship with Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center in the Bronx, and the new center will become the first pro-life medical clinic in the tristate area. All the EMC centers–including one in the Northwest Bronx, two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn—offer counseling, pregnancy testing and help in crisis pregnancies. The clinic will add the extra dimension of prenatal and postnatal care.

EMC serves some 3,000 pregnant women a year, 85 percent of whom are planning an abortion. It claims a 50 percent success rate in convincing them to save their babies, and Slattery hopes that the addition of a new 3-D ultrasound machine will significantly improve the rate as it helps women see clearer sonogram images of their unborn.