Through the “Adopt-a-Mom” program at Let Them Live (LTL), a charitable organization focused on enabling expectant mothers to opt for life by providing them with financial and emotional assistance, NDRtL aids one mother at a time.

During the previous academic year, NDRtL raised $4,000 for a solo parent anticipating her fourth offspring. The learners also prayed for her, hosted a baby shower, crafted baby blankets, amazed her other kids with Christmas gifts, and penned uplifting letters.

Emily Berning, co-founder and president of LTL, acknowledged NDRtL’s assistance.

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“To the mothers whom NDRtL has embraced, the assistance from [them] has been invaluable and was truly the distinction between life and death,” she stated.

In a video posted by Our Sunday Visitor, the mother that NDRtL took in 2022 conveyed her appreciation.

“I had so many individuals that I didn’t even recognize cheering for me,” Cassie, who welcomed her child, La’Riya, in February, states. “It was truly a blessing.”

Prayer

Gallegos listed prayer as the primary foundation through which NDRtL upholds life. Club members engage in weekly prayers of the Angelus and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, along with participating in monthly Right-to-Life Masses and attending dorm Masses weekly.

Additional prayer initiatives consist of a 54-day Rosary Novena for life, an email list for a death-row novena, and Eucharistic adoration.

Embracing their Catholic identity, the club selects a patron saint annually. For 2023-24, NDRtL has chosen the patroness of the unborn: Our Lady of Guadalupe, who manifested as an expectant mother to St. Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531.

“We aim to engage with the Hispanic Ministries [at Notre Dame],” Gallagos mentioned regarding the selection. “Focusing significantly on Our Lady this year, that’s essentially the strategy.”

Gallegos, who is Catholic, emphasized that the university’s Catholic character influences every aspect of the club.

“The reason we stand up for the unborn originates from our conviction in the intrinsic dignity of every individual, which is rooted in our Catholic beliefs,” she stressed.

Service

Alongside “adopting” mothers in need, NDRtL collaborates with organizations to advocate for life through service.

Gallegos emphasized engagement with two charitable organizations, starting with Holy Cross Village, a nearby retirement community, where students interact with the residents and take part in activities ranging from dances to game nights.

NDRtL additionally supports the local Women’s Care Center, which offers expectant mothers complimentary resources and assistance. Gallegos mentioned that their club organizes baby showers at that location.

Members have additionally contributed their time to Hannah & Friends, a nonprofit focused on enhancing the quality of life for individuals with special needs, and have offered childcare services at Hannah’s House, a community maternity home.

Education

To educate regarding the matter of life, NDRtL members participate in outreach: The organization releases a journal titled “Footprints,” organizes a Humanae Vitae lecture series, conducts tablings and training sessions on campus, and remains informed about legislative and political initiatives.

The organization further promotes end-of-life concerns, which includes corresponding with prisoners on death row, and endorses adoption and foster care by engaging in initiatives such as assembling backpacks for children in foster care.

Gallegos mentioned that, alongside external speakers, a range of professors provide lectures concerning the life issue.

On their site, NDRtL enumerates pregnancy resources, encompassing the Notre Dame Family Resource Center, which offers assistance for expectant and parenting students, ensuring that those encountering unplanned pregnancies understand they are not by themselves.

A note for expectant students

Gallegos conveyed her message to students who are dealing with unplanned pregnancies.

“The initial thing I would communicate to her is that she possesses the strength to navigate this journey that may appear intimidating ahead of her — while truly highlighting that we are part of a university that promises comprehensive support for any pregnant student, including provisions for coursework and housing, complimentary medical consultations, and access to our Family Resource Center for free counseling, both during and after the pregnancy,” she remarked.

She emphasized that, alongside the local Catholic community, each NDRtL member is prepared to offer assistance.

Comprehensively pro-life

Gallegos, a student majoring in American Studies and theology, disclosed her priorities as president for the forthcoming academic year: pursuing a “pro-life feminist approach” and emphasizing genuine femininity.

Prior to taking on the role of president, Gallegos was a member of the NDRtL board for two years. She noted that the organization has encountered difficulties and spiritual assaults, highlighting the rift within the club that occurred last year.

She highlighted the significance of maintaining attention and depending on Our Lady at “Notre Dame” (a French phrase that translates to “Our Lady”) to progress.

In the wake of the reversal of RoeGallegos referred to altering the culture as a “major worry” for students.

Numerous students frequently participate in the March for Life, the country’s largest yearly pro-life demonstration that started as a reaction to Roe, Gallegos mentioned. (In order to become a member of NDRtL, students have the option to either pay membership fees or participate in the march, with the majority of expenses subsidized by Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.)

Now, for the approaching academic year, Gallegos aims to honor what it signifies to be a “Roe-“independent woman” by highlighting 1972 as the year prior Roe, the year the pro-life organization was established, and the year Notre Dame initially allowed undergraduate women to enroll.

“So attempting to transform this figure that signifies women at Notre Dame into an additional emblem of women at Notre Dame, [the] pro-life initiative at Notre Dame, a prior-Roe woman, a woman who celebrates her femininity, accepts her fertility and motherhood and doesn’t perceive children as hindrances to achievement,” she stated.

Gallegos additionally wishes that NDRtL will discover additional methods to engage directly in service-related activities, concentrating on adopting a holistic approach. pro-life, and support women.

“Those are somewhat the ideas that will be unfolding,” she remarked. “I’m quite thrilled about it.”