Due to a donation from the Picayune chapter of the Knights of Columbus, patients at the Sav-A-Life of the Pearl River Area will be able to hear the heartbeats of their unborn children.
In 2009, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council initiated the ultrasound initiative so women considering abortion could view the new life within them, the Knights of Columbus website states.
“We believe according to the Catholic teaching and doctrine that life is sacred from conception to natural death,” Mississippi State Culture of Life Director for the Knights of Columbus Dennis Riecke said.
According to the website, as of March 2015, local and state councils have raised enough funds to purchase more than 540 ultrasound machines.
Thursday, the Picayune chapter of the Knights of Columbus and Sav-A-Life volunteers unveiled the first ultrasound machine that has been partially funded by a Mississippi Knights of Columbus chapter.
The group raised $6,869 through donations and fundraising efforts and the Supreme Council contributed a matching gift of $7,200. The Kiln Knights of Columbus chapter also contributed $300 to the cause. Other donations from members in the community brought the grand total to about $18,000, which was enough to cover the cost of the ultrasound machine and warranty.
Picayune Knights of Columbus Grand Knight Bryan Cassagne said it’s been hard to express his emotions.
“Being the first group in the state is secondary to the fact that we accomplished our goal in three months,” Cassagne said.
State Secretary Knights of Mississippi State Council Noel Aucoin said the state council is proud of the Picayune group.
“It’s a feat and accomplishment by these guys,” he said. “Our Supreme Council won’t approve matching funds unless there is a proper facility and trained person to run the machine.”
Sav-A-Life director Bonita Wynn said the new machine will not only allow for clear ultrasound pictures, but also gives the mother an opportunity to hear her child’s heartbeat.
The center is an interdenominational pro-life ministry that offers pregnancy support services to women and men dealing with unplanned pregnancies, Wynn said in a July 2015 interview.
“If a mother is abortion-vulnerable, we can show her the ultrasound and it changes her mind. We can show them that there’s life in there and that’s what the ultrasound machine is for,” Wynn said in a January interview.
Thursday, the excitement was noticeable on the faces of Wynn and her volunteers as the new machine was displayed and used on patient Shaquana Johnson.
Johnson first came to Sav-A-Life four years ago when she was pregnant with her first child.
“They are very supportive,” Johnson said. “You can’t find too many places around here to support you to keep your baby. I feel like you can talk to them about anything, not just the baby.”
Wynn said they are very excited about the new machine and thankful to the diligence exhibited by members of the Knights of Columbus.
“It’s an elation that has come over us,” she said.