The MCFL Young Adult Chapter hosted a meeting featuring Teresa Larkin, Executive Director of Your Options Medical, at the Corrib Pub in Brighton.
Larkin shared the vital role pregnancy resource centers play in supporting women and their babies, while also highlighting the increasing challenges they face, including censorship by big tech.
John Skalko, Co-Director of MCFL Young Adult Chapter, noted: "We learned firsthand that pregnancy resource centers are being censored by big tech; after the Dobbs decision, for example, Google changed the algorithm making it more difficult for women to access pregnancy resource centers. This has already deprived pregnant women of many free resources pregnancy centers provide such as diapers, baby clothing, referrals for safe housing, etc."
Co-director Gabriel Dionisi added: “This was a great opportunity to bring young people together and learn more about pregnancy resource centers in Massachusetts. I was happy to see so many thoughtful questions being asked by attendees. Teresa Larkin did a great job explaining the current challenges faced by PRC's and ways that young people can help."
Attendees responded positively. Dave, an attendee, praised the speaker as "very informative." At the same time, Gabriella Ribeiro, attending her first MCFL Young Adult event, said, “hearing from someone whose life work has been to serve mothers, fathers, and children through pregnancy resource centers, who has seen the impact these places have in the lives of families and experienced first hand the extreme backlash in recent years, left me with a desire to mobilize for the Pro Life cause and get involved in this necessary work.”
Held on September 18, 2024, the event is part of the MCFL Young Adults Chapter's significant action in empowering young adults to advocate for life and support pregnancy resource centers in Massachusetts.