Catholic Charities offers services to women with unplanned pregnancies

By KATIE LEFEBVRE , Globe staff reporter
Sept. 28, 2006

CARROLL - With October being Respect Life Month, there are many lives and issues to consider - the unborn, people with disabilities, those at the end of their life.

Unborn children also affect the lives of their birth parents, grandparents, foster parents, adoptive parents, etc.

Doreen Loeffelholz, LISW, clinical supervisor at the Catholic Charities branch in Carroll, explained that Catholic Charities has a maternity program for birth parents. She has been working with birth parents for almost 30 years.

"We work with birth parents who are dealing with unplanned pregnancies," said Loeffelholz. "Essentially what we help birth parents do is make a plan for their child. We encourage them to consider what they believe is in their child's best interest - what do they want for their child?"

She pointed out that each case is different, but it comes down to whether the birth parents will be parenting the child or adoption.

"They can parent the child either on their own, with the help of their parents or with the involvement of the birth father," said Loeffelholz. "Parenting is a consideration or an alternative."

According to Loeffelholz, years ago marriage was a possibility as well, but "in today's society, we just don't see that like we used to."

She noted that there are also some women who come in considering abortion.

"We certainly counsel against that," said Loeffelholz. "We encourage her to consider that there are other alternatives and that she can get through this. We can help her with that."

Loeffelholz mentioned that there can be similarities in cases, but the counselors at Catholic Charities look at each of the birth parents as individuals.

"For any individual dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, they can deal with the situation. It is not the worst thing in the world. Yes, it certainly creates challenges in their lives. The bottom line is that their child is dependent on them to make a good plan for them and deserves to have a life, period," said Loeffelholz.

Catholic Charities helps the individuals look at their alternatives and then break that down into the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.

"We process until they reach a decision or develop a plan," said Loeffelholz. "If that is parenting, then we will help them to really fine tune that and be as prepared as they can. If it is adoption, we can facilitate that and help them deal with the emotional aspects of that."

Loeffelholz continued that part of the emotional aspects include letting that child go and grieving the loss of the child in their lives. Another part of what Catholic Charities does is facilitate the legal process.

"The legal process is not part of the adoption process for them," said Loeffelholz. "The legal process for our birth parents is called termination of parental rights. When this occurs, a judge will actually sign an order that the birth parents' rights and responsibilities are extinguished."

The other legal process is with the adoptive parents - the adoption process. When adoptive parents are placed with a child, there is about a six-month process to adoption finalization when a judge signs an adoption decree.

Loeffelholz explained this is when the adoption is "actually finalized for those adoptive parents meaning that legally the child is their child."

"Regardless of the decision they make, if they make a commitment to this child, that is a good thing," said Loeffelholz. "Whatever that child's life ultimately evolves to be, hopefully it is a good thing. If they step into parenting and are a good parent or if they make an adoption plan and that child hopefully has a good life with their adoptive family, that they have an opportunity to have life."

She added that Catholic Charities is there to help people. The agency is committed to the individual and the child.

"The bottom line is the child's life and their future," said Loeffelholz. "This child ultimately has parents that are always their birth parents. The child has foster parents who provide foster care for the child during the interim from the time the child leaves the hospital until the time the child is available to be placed in the adoptive home."

The final stage is finding adoptive parents who are committed to taking care of the child.

Different agencies and people refer women to Catholic Charities for help including physicians, Birthright, pastors, school counselors and family members. Loeffelholz added that the majority of referrals come to them from physicians. They also have women who find the Catholic Charities information in the phonebook.

People can visit Catholic Charities in Sioux City, Carroll, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake and Algona.