Services provided at Options for Women East pregnancy medical clinic on White Bear Avenue in St. Paul are not simply about saving babies, said Sydney March. “Of course, it’s about babies, but it’s about moms in that environment,” she said. “And at the end of the day, it’s about souls.”
March, a registered nurse who works in the emergency room at a Twin Cities hospital, is also a staff nurse at Options for Women East, a nonprofit prenatal and pregnancy care medical clinic. March said the clinic offers testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, ultrasounds, abortion pill reversal, prenatal care, group classes, parenting classes “within the context of prenatal care,” postpartum care and home visits.
Sydney March
A doula can accompany women at the time of delivery, March said, and a therapist is now available to serve mental health needs. “The reality is, that once these ladies come, they don’t want to go anywhere else,” she said.
March, a parishioner of Transfiguration in Oakdale, and Father John Paul Erickson, Transfiguration’s pastor, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to describe services at Options for Women East and how the faithful can help the clinic serve its clients’ needs. Father Erickson serves on its board of directors as a spiritual adviser, calling it a great honor and blessing.
Asked how the faithful can support a culture of life and the work of clinics like Options for Women East, Father Erickson said “we need to be willing to enter into people’s lives where they are suffering, where they are needy.” Options for Women East is a place of accompaniment, he said. “It’s not simply about making sure these kids are born, which is … critically important,” he said. “But really providing care for these women who are oftentimes in challenging circumstances” requiring “great compassion and great love,” Father Erickson said.
Father John Paul Erickson
March said the clinic’s greatest need today is for a physician, a family physician, to serve clients. Once served by three physicians, the clinic now has one. The other pressing need is for donations, she said, both financial and prayers, she said. “At the end of the day, we can’t do any of this without our Lord,” March said. “The Holy Spirit is guiding all of this, so let his will be done.”
To learn more about clinic services, visit optionsforwomeneast.com. To hear the full interview, including a description of a recent visit by clinic supporters to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe near La Crosse, Wisconsin, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Nov. 25 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Nov. 26 and 2 p.m. Nov. 27.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Malachy Fallon and Aisling Redican about how the blind can participate more fully at Mass; and a reprised interview from November 2020 with Susanna Parent, stay-at-home mom and former producer of Practicing Catholic’s predecessor radio show, who discusses practicing hospitality during the holidays.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at?PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show
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