Pro-lifers can make this summer the most impactful ‘summer of service’ yet

In response to the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court this year, Rachel Carmona, president of the Women’s March, called for a “summer of rage” led by abortion advocates. “For the women of this country, this will be a summer of rage,” said Carmona. “We will be ungovernable until this government starts working for us, until the attacks on our bodies let up, until the right to an abortion is codified into law.”

In a May 15 response tweet, pro-life Charlotte Lozier president Chuck Donovan noted that on the flip side, “Pro-lifers are committed to another summer of service.”

Abortion advocates have given the nation a taste of what an “ungovernable” group of people can destroy in a “summer of rage,” as they have already attacked and burned pregnancy resource centers and protested outside of the homes of Supreme Court justices. Threats of burning down the Supreme Court building, murdering justices and their clerks, and attacking places of worship have been circulated on social media. Pro-life activists have allegedly been assaulted by abortion activists at rallies around the nation.

Donovan, however, pointed out in a single tweet that amid this so-called summer of rage, pro-lifers will continue to do what they have always done: serve others. This summer could be the first summer in nearly 50 years in which states are not forced to allow abortion up until about 24 weeks of pregnancy. In the days and years following the collapse of Roe v. Wade, there will be more women and babies to help and more families who are in need of the support pro-lifers have been providing for decades.

Now is the time for the most active pro-life summer of service yet.

Help your local pregnancy center

Pro-life pregnancy centers depend on donations in order to help women who refuse abortion and decide to raise their children. These vital centers provide a variety of resources including, but not limited to, maternity clothing, baby clothing, baby gear, formula, car seats, housing, and access to resources including health care. Any items you are able to provide or monetary donations you can make will help women give birth to their babies with confidence.

READ: Women describe how pro-life pregnancy resource centers helped them

Help foster children

You don’t have to adopt children in order to help those in foster care. There are many ways to help, like volunteering as a respite care provider on weekends to help foster families take a break. Another opportunity to help is to act as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) or a guardian ad litem (GAL) to advocate on the child’s behalf in court. You could also volunteer as a Big Brother or Big Sister. Tori Hope Petersen, a former foster child-turned foster mother who was crowned Mrs. Universe in 2021, offers more advice on how to help here. You can also help by supporting the foster and adoptive families living in your community.

Help a friend who is considering abortion

If you have a friend or family member who is considering abortion, you have the ability to help her welcome her child into the world. Most women don’t undergo abortions lightly and many times they are under pressure to abort. Listen to her concerns, tell her the truth, connect her to resources through the local pregnancy center, and offer her support. Read more on how to help here.

Help a pregnant mother in a crisis situation

There are many reasons a woman may feel she has no other option than to abort her baby. If a woman you know is in a true crisis situation such as homelessness, an abusive relationship, addiction, or poverty, let her know that she doesn’t have to abort her baby and that she’s not alone. Provide her with the resources she needs to turn her life around and keep her child. Read more here.

Help a pregnant or parenting teen

Teenage girls who become pregnant are often under intense pressure to have an abortion from either their parents, their friends, or their boyfriend. About 500,000 American girls become pregnant before the age of 20 each year. Seek advice from your local pregnancy center on the resources available to help a pregnant teen you know, and be there when she needs support. You can help drive her to doctor’s appointments, help her with child care, help her earn her diploma, hold a baby shower for her, and more.

Help a pregnant or parenting student

Pregnant and parenting students perform a juggling act on a daily basis. You can help with both big hurdles and small by providing childcare, running errands, or bringing them a meal. If you work on a college campus, there’s more you can do. Work to create facilities where mothers can breastfeed or pump as well as areas for diaper changing. Find affordable housing for families, create a support group, and offer designated parking for these students. For more ideas, read this.

Help a single mother 

There are 15 million single mothers living in the United States. You can help by offering to babysit, providing help with transportation, tutoring children in their school work, and giving them your gently-used hand-me-downs. Volunteer to help with jobs around her house such as mowing the lawn or shoveling her driveway. Get more tips here.

Help someone who has received a prenatal diagnosis

If a pregnant friend learns that her preborn baby has a health condition, she may face pressure from doctors to have an abortion. Provide her with encouragement and offer her resources and support. Help her to connect with families who are raising children with the same health condition and do not dismiss any emotions she may be feeling. Learn more here.

Help a friend who has had an abortion

Pro-lifers don’t just offer support to women who choose life; they also serve women who have chosen abortion. One in four American women have had an abortion, so there are likely numerous wounded women who are dealing with the trauma of abortion walking around even in our small communities. If a woman opens up to you about her abortion and her suffering, be there for her and listen without judgment. Connect her to post-abortive support groups where she can find other women who understand what she is going through. A list of these groups can be found here.

Pro-lifers know that abortion kills innocent children, harms women and men, and destroys families. But the United States has erroneously made a habit of using abortion as a solution to its problems. Yet none of these problems — poverty, child abuse, inequality — have been solved after nearly 50 years of abortion on demand.

Now, with the promise of Roe v. Wade being overturned, many women are scared because they have been convinced they are incapable of being successful mothers while simultaneously having success in other areas of their lives. This summer is the opportunity for pro-lifers to show pregnant women love, compassion, and support despite the dire circumstances they may be facing. Make this summer a #summerofservice.

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