Affirming Life Initiative
Prenatal testing can sometimes lead to difficult issues for parents, medical professionals, clergy and pastoral ministers. Parents may be misinformed about authentic, life-affirming options available to them when they receive information that their unborn baby is likely to have a disability or a life-threatening condition. The Affirming Life Initiative of the Archdiocese of Washington seeks to develop and share resources with parents, clergy and professionals locally while also working in partnership with national Catholic organizations such as the National Catholic Partnership on Disability.
Download the Affirming Life Initiative’s prenatal and postnatal pastoral care resource guide, available in both English and in Spanish.
Watch this video to learn more about how the initiative helps parents, medical professionals, and clergy.
Unexpected Prenatal Diagnosis: A Journey of Faith, Hope and Love
Dan and Cubby LaHood of Silver Spring, MD are the parents of four children. When Cubby was pregnant with their second child, Francis, she learned that he had an unexpected and lethal diagnosis. The trauma and shock of this news caused the couple to seek answers from their faith, which then led them to continue the pregnancy. Francis was born alive and lived briefly, was baptized and loved by his family. His few minutes on earth touched many others, and led to the formation of Isaiah’s Promise, (isaiahspromise.net) a peer ministry that has been a leader in providing support for women who want to continue their pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis. The LaHood’s also re-imagined their family business, turning it from child care center for children with special needs, to a ministry doing that and so much more, called St. Joseph’s House.
Contact the Office of Deaf and Disabilities Ministry for more information.