This past weekend I joined thousands of others in Fort Wayne for the annual March for Life for northeast Indiana. I proud to have marched, as I have for more years than I can remember. The difference is that this year I am hopeful that the Supreme Court may effectively reverse the decision in Roe v. Wade and provide Indiana with the option of ending this inhumane practice.
Bishop Kevin Rhodes recently challenged Catholics to make a special effort to consider how we can do more to support mothers dealing with unexpected pregnancies in light of potential changes regarding abortion in our community. There are a number of organizations who have long been involved in these efforts in our community like the Women’s Care Center and A Hope Center. As I have considered how our family can support these efforts, I began to consider how Fort Wayne as a city might be able to do the same.
You may have heard about the efforts to install “baby boxes” in our area. The purpose of a baby box is to avoid the tragedy of finding a newborn baby abandoned in an unsafe location. Emergency personnel are notified within one minute of the baby being dropped off and will arrive at the box within five minutes. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barret actually cited Safe Haven Baby Boxes by providing a safe, anonymous method for a woman who is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy to surrender a baby for adoption without resorting to abortion.
I will be the most pro-life mayor in the history of Fort Wayne, but people wonder how that translates into running a city. Generally speaking municipal governments do not have much involvement in issues like abortion. Advocating for using the city’s resources to provide these life-saving measures is a prime example of what a pro-life mayor can accomplish.
There are Baby Drop Box locations in New Haven, Woodburn, Auburn, Columbia City and Decatur. There are efforts to install one in Fort Wayne but I can say confidently that when that box is dedicated it will be in spite of city’s efforts to assist, not because they did all they could to help bring one to our city.
Our community will not move forward unless we all advance together. My commitment to you as the next mayor of Fort Wayne is that I will put the resources of the city to work to identify where we can effectively install more baby boxes to help save lives and provide mothers in crisis an option that does not involve destroying an innocent child. Putting Fort Wayne First means putting everyone first, then including the most vulnerable among us.
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