Oblate Voices is a JPIC blog that follows stories of hope and is about how Oblates and associates live and experience mission work in the spirit of the Oblate founder, St Eugene De Mazenod of responding to the needs of poor and most abandoned around the world.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Three Parishes Walk Together To Defend Human Life

Dr. Carlos Hernandez, MD runs a women’s clinic in Eagle Pass, TX and has done so for the last 18 years. He is also a parishioner and serves on the leadership council at the Sacred Heart Parish, Diocese of Laredo.

Like other pro-life advocates around the country, January 22nd is an important date for Dr. Hernandez. This date marks the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling 43 years ago that legalizes abortion under the constitution. Since this ruling became law, pro-life advocates have worked to overturn Roe vs. Wade by organizing marches and other events on or around January 22nd every year. The largest of these gatherings is the March for Life, which draws tens of thousands of participants to the National Mall in Washington, DC every year. These nationwide events aim to call attention to the sanctity of life and the need to respect human life.

  
Dr. Hernandez recently spoke with JPIC staff about a pro-life event he organized in his community:

For the last 20 years parishioners from three parishes within the Diocese of Laredo, TX – Our Lady of Refuge, Sacred Heart and Saint Joseph’s -- have actively participated in a local Walk For Life event to coincide with events around the country. Dr. Hernandez has been the event’s organizer for the last six years, working with leadership councils from the three parishes and the local Knights of Columbus.

Dr. Hernandez explained that prior to the event and to engage parishioners, a banner contest was held. The winning banner was displayed at the march and the winner received a gift card. Second and third place winners were presented with prizes as well. About 200 people of all ages participated in this year’s Walk. The group first gathered on Main Street in Eagle Pass, then proceeded to walk a mile and a half, praying the Rosary along the way to their final destination at City Hall. The elderly or those unable to walk the full distance waited at City Hall. When the walk concluded, a short program was held and attended by the Vicar of the Diocese, the mayor and other city officials.

Nine days before the Walk for Life event members from all three parishes joined in solidarity with other Catholics around the country in a prayer campaign organized by the U.S. Bishops. The 9 Days for Life campaign called for Catholics to pray for victims of abortion, violence and those suffering from addiction in the nine days leading up to January 22nd.

As Dr. Hernandez personally reflected on the sanctity of life, he shared with JPIC staff
a few local stories and his perspective on the issue from the standpoint of a physician specializing in obstetrics/gynecology. He commended local families who under very difficult circumstances, commit to caring for severely disabled children. He shared a particular story of a young girl born with hydrocephaly - a brain disorder. The child, now nearly 3 years old, was born the very day Pope Francis was elected, on March 13, 2013. 


The child had surgery in Mexico but it failed to correct the problem. Through the assistance of parishioners, the family moved to San Antonio, TX for access to better medical care. Despite surgeries and treatments the child remains in a vegetative state and her condition makes her prone to seizures. Yet her family is very committed to caring for her.  There have been other tragedies in the child’s family. The father passed away from leukemia leaving the mother as the primary caregiver of several other children. As Dr. Hernandez puts it, the child’s mother is ‘doing her best.”

Though the reality of this family is very difficult, Dr. Hernandez remarked that for him, this exemplifies the core of pro-life philosophy that ‘every life is worth living.’

Dr. Carlos Hernandez was born in Colombia, South America. He studied and did his medical residency training in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been in practice for 18 years.



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