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.”
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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