It’s 6 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and Lynn Dyer waits outside a Planned Parenthood facility, watching, waiting and praying as she holds a parking space for “the bus.”
It’s not just any bus, either. This is the Hope Mobile, a bright pink, 32-foot RV that offers free ultrasounds to women as they approach the Glendale branch of the nation’s largest abortion provider.
The vehicle, which is kept at Life Choices Women’s Clinic, is funded in part by the Charity & Development Appeal, the annual drive to raise funds for 70 organizations and ministries in the Diocese of Phoenix.
When you give to the Charity & Development Appeal you support the work of more than 70 organizations and ministries throughout the Diocese of Phoenix, transforming the lives of thousands of people. Together, we can put our faith into action. Together, we can do more than any one parish or person can do. Your love gives hope to so many!
“It comes down to life and death. If the Hope Mobile is right there and the woman can get right on and see her baby — it’s absolutely critical,” Dyer says.
Behind the wheel of the RV is Renee Connealy, mother of Fr. Dan Connealy, pastor at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Phoenix. She’s just come from 7 a.m. Mass at Most Holy Trinity where she met up with Peg Kline, mother of Fr. Don Kline, V.F., the pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Scottsdale. Peg, a registered nurse, will be performing the ultrasounds aboard the Hope Mobile.
“I call my son afterwards to tell him we had a save. He’s very happy we decided to tackle this ministry,” Peg says.
Dyer, who’s been standing outside abortion clinics for four decades trying to persuade women to choose life, lauded the vital role the Hope Mobile plays in saving the lives of unborn babies.
“We go out there and pray, pray, pray — we talk to these women and do everything we possibly can — but the Hope Mobile is such a key part of it.”
Sheila Riely, executive director of Life Choices Women’s Clinic, says the ultrasound clinic on wheels makes a significant impact on the community, saving around 50 babies each year from the abortionist’s instruments.
“It’s a beacon of hope,” Riely says. “The women who have the courage — and it’s an unusual courage to have one plan and in the parking lot, change your mind and go in a completely different direction — for the women who have that courage, it profoundly alters their course because they go from an alone, desperate feeling to ‘I have support and I’m going to take care of my child.’”
Let Your Light Shine – Learn more about the CDA
Without funding from the CDA, the Hope Mobile would still be parked on the premises of LCWC.
“It’s kind of expensive to run, so the CDA support makes it possible for us to keep the Hope Mobile going,” Riely says. And that presence in front of Planned Parenthood makes all the difference in the world.
“Once a woman makes the decision to get on the Hope Mobile, she has kind of turned the corner,” Riely says. “She gets to sit down and get counseling and be comforted and understand that she won’t be alone in this pregnancy, that there is support. She sees the baby on top of that and she hears the baby’s heartbeat. It’s an important tool to close the deal and encourage her to choose life.”
Dyer agrees.
“The main thing is that it’s right there — I don’t have to talk them into coming with me to Life Choices Women’s Clinic which is a 15-20 minute drive from Planned Parenthood. So it’s just an awesome tool that we have.
“Once they see their baby on that ultrasound it’s a miracle. It changes their minds. That’s our goal and that’s the main purpose of the Hope Mobile is to have these women see their babies on the ultrasound.
State law requires that abortion clinics perform an ultrasound exam but they use it to determine how far along the woman is in her pregnancy, not to persuade her to choose life.
“They don’t let them see the ultrasound or hear the baby’s heartbeat. So that’s why it’s so important for us to get them on our Hope Mobile. It’s just amazing,” Dyer says.
