Life-affirming work of Woman’s New Life Clinic celebrated at “Saved in Hope”

At a time when chemical abortions are on the rise and the abortion industry reduces unborn life to mere “tissues” or “not fully human yet,” Woman’s New Life Clinic counters these misconceptions with truth and merciful care of mother and child.

The life-affirming work of WNLC was highlighted at its “Saved in Hope” benefit held  at Drusilla Seafood in May.

In his opening message, Bishop Michael G. Duca said he was amazed at the quality of men and women attracted to pro-life work that he has encountered.

“Their quality shows that goodness attracts goodness,” said the bishop, who led the attendees in prayer.

Allison Daigle, president and CEO of WNLC, talked about the vital work done by WNLC in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

“Statistically, they tell us that abortion pills make up about two-thirds of all abortions, but we definitely think we’re seeing much more than that. It’s on the rise,” Daigle said. “We know abortion is the greatest injustice this world has known. And we are tasked with our part in making it right.”

WNLC is growing, said Daigle, because the need for the clinic is growing.

“Women are calling us every single day, having taken the abortion pills by mail, they don't even know what they were taking. They don't even know if they should take it. They don't know how much to take because there is no help from the abortion industry.


Top right photo: Dr. John Bruchalski talks about his conversion from being an abortionist to a pro-life advocate and OB/GYN. Photos by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator
Top photo: Allison Daigle, President/CEO of Woman’s New Life Clinic, speaks about the life-affirming care WNLC gives to women and babies.

“Once those pills get to her house, she doesn't know what to do when she can't stop the bleeding and can't stop the excruciating pain. The abortion pills by mail are so out of control and so unregulated,” said Daigle.

WNLC counselors frequently report that the pregnant women they see are told by their parents and partners, “It’s your choice,” Daigle pointed out. And these women are left to carry on the burden by themselves.

“And then you’ve got men who want to have a voice. And what does the world tell them? ‘Shut up, you have no say,’” said Daigle. “More and more women need our help. We must offer the professional medical and mental health care that women deserve to make it right.”

In telling his story of conversion, speaker Dr. John Bruchalski, founder and president of Divine Mercy Care and the Founder of Tepeyac OB/GYN in Fairfax, Virginia, emphasized that medicine is an instrument of mercy rather than a tool of destruction.

“Medicine has mercy, and divine mercy is true medicine,” said Bruchalski.

An OBGYN, Bruchalski grew up in a strong, Catholic family but drifted away from his faith as a young adult.
When he was told in medical school that abortion and contraception were the means of reproductive health and something to liberate women from their chains, he said, “Okay, sounds good. Let’s do this,” and could perform abortions without giving much thought about it. Whatever the mother wanted was fine with him.

That changed during his second year of residency, which he wrote about in detail in his book, “Two Patients: My Conversion from Abortion to Life-Affirming Medicine.”

In one room the mother was going into premature labor at 22 weeks and wanted to keep the baby. Bruchalski looked at the mother’s medical history and blood work and reassured her that she would be fine and that he would do everything he could do to keep the baby inside alive.

In the next room was a mother who was 22-23 week pregnant who did not want her child.

“Before I can even approach the patient, she says, ‘Get it out of me,’” said Bruchalski.

“So, I got it out of her. I didn’t want it; she didn’t want it; and the hospital didn’t want it. I broke her water and we ‘blew the baby out,’” said Bruchalski. “I caught the little one in a bucket. And it started crying.”

The baby wouldn’t stop crying, and Bruchalski’s first instinct was to suffocate it so its mother would not suffer. But instead, he threw it on a scale to check its weight.

The baby weighed just over five grams, or more than one pound, the weight limit for what the state of Virginia designated a human life, so he was forced to call in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) doctor.

The doctor looked at him and what he was doing and sharply rebuked him saying, “Hey, Bruchalski. You’re much better than this. Stop treating my patients like tumors to be discarded.” She stressed that he was to treat both women and baby as patients. With care, the baby lived.

Over coffee, the doctor told Bruchalski that she had just returned from visiting Medjugorje and challenged him to go. He initially refused, but three days later his mother called him and asked him to accompany her on a trip to Medjugorje, and he went. While there a Belgian visionary told Bruchalski she had a message from the Blessed Mother that he was to be the best doctor he could be, to follow and promote the teachings of the church, and to serve the poor daily. The “scales fell from his eyes” and he had a profound conversion.  

Bruchalski and his wife, Carolyn, founded Tepeyac OB/GYN in Norfolk Virginia, a practice that supports fertility counseling, natural family planning, support for abortion-minded and post-abortion patients, and perinatal hospice for families that have received an adverse prenatal diagnosis for their child. In its 30 years of operation the practice, which provides care for women regardless of their ability to pay, has delivered more than 10,000 babies. John Bruchalski also established Divine Mercy Care, a non-profit foundation that raises funds to support charitable care at Tepeyac OB/GYN and seeks to educate and support current and future pro-life medical professionals.

Bruchalski talked about the growing number of chemical abortions and efforts to recruit doctors, nurses, and even untrained medical assistants to participate in the destruction of life.

 Looking out at the audience, Bruchalski quoted Micah 6:8: “The Lord has shown you, O mortal, what is good.”

He added, “We’re all being moved, we’re all being called. And what does the Lord require us to do? ‘To act justly, to show love and mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.’” (Micah 6:8)

For more information on WNLC and how to support its pro-life work, visit womansnewlife.com.