Council 1232 helps Haverhill Pregnancy Clinic obtain Ultrasound System

Council 1232 Knights of Columbus, Manchester by the Sea, Enables Haverhill Pregnancy Clinic to Obtain Long Needed Ultrasound System

Masconomo Council’s $12,300 gift matched by Knights of Columbus Culture of Life Fund

Manchester by the Sea, MA, April 08,2022—Pro-Life issues advocacy is fundamental to the Knights of Columbus. The Knights choose to support human life, born and unborn, from conception to natural death. That is a matter of faith and policy.

For Council 1232 Knights of Columbus Manchester by -the Sea that policy became practice when it reached out to the Pregnancy Care Center of Merrimack Valley.

Bill Casey, Executive Director of the center, informed Tom Finn, program director of Council 1232, that their Haverhill Center was in need of a state-of-the-art ultrasound machine to visually show expectant mothers the miracle of life they all carry within their wombs. He said unfortunately it was out of their reach financially.

Finn assured him Council 1232 could and would partner with the national Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative to purchase the system it prefers.

After conferring with the Council’ s membership to approve funds for the project and after pursuing private donations from pro-life advocates, which together with the Council’s funds would comprise 50 percent of the Ultrasound’s purchase price, Finn assured the balance would be provided by Knights of Columbus Supreme headquarters, based in New Haven, Connecticut.

Phil Monahan, Grand Knight of Masconomo Council 1232, Manchester by-the Sea declared, “We are glad to offer financial assistance to the Pregnancy Care Center. It is an asset that provides a welcome helping hand to women and couples in need at a time when they seek love, care, and guidance. The new ultrasound at the center will visually make babies come alive for expectant parents. It will ease the way for them to choose life for their unborn baby.”

“Mothers ambivalent about carrying a pregnancy to full term will now see their unborn babies alive with arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, and toes. What they will see is unquestionably a developing baby. Once a parent sees that it is hard not to choose life- one’s own flesh and blood.”

The ultrasound system gift to the Haverhill center was stimulated by Knight Tom Finn, of Beverly Farms, who was impressed by the quality of counseling and post-partum support available to mothers in the group’s care centers throughout the Merrimack Valley in Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill.

Three months ago, the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative marked a major milestone when it installed the 1,500th ultrasound system funded through the Initiative. That system was installed in New Brunswick, NJ at The First Choice Women’s Resource Center. As with the Haverhill Center, the Ultrasound was funded by local Knights with a 100% match by the Order’s Culture of Life Fund.

At the presentation of the New Brunswick NJ Ultrasound system, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said, “Knights of Columbus believe in the dignity and worth of every human life. We work tirelessly through prayer and action to support mothers and their children, both born and unborn.”

Since the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative began in January,2008, more than 1500 ultrasound systems have been installed at pregnancy centers in all 50 states. They and related post- partum support have a value of $72 million.

Bill Casey noted, “For many women, an unplanned pregnancy can be a real crisis. Our secular society lies to these very women by telling them that it is ok to terminate the pregnancy by saying; it’s only a clump of cells, an abortion will make it all go away, no one needs to know, it’s your body / your choice. They never discuss the termination of a life. They never tell the truth about the serious risks to their physical and mental health associated with terminating their pregnancy.”

He emphasized, “Through this generous donation by Council 1232 and the matching funds provided by the Supreme Council, we now have our third ultrasound machine, one for each of our three locations in the Merrimack Valley. The Knights of Columbus have made this dream become a reality.”

He continued, “The ability to show the mother their actual baby makes a profound impact. It creates a moment where God can touch the mother’s heart and help her to know that there is a life in her womb. A precious life that He created.”