The United States is undergoing its biggest baby boom since the postwar peak in 1957, and, as of 2007, has recorded the largest ever number of births, according to national statistics. But as Americans are faced with increasingly tighter budgets as the result of a struggling economy, the number of abortions nationwide is also on the rise, according to Catholic News Service.

First, the good news.

According to a report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention last month, births across the country increased in 2007 for the second consecutive year, resulting in 4,317,119 new lives, the highest number ever registered in the United States.

Tepeyac Family Center, the Catholic pro-life OB-GYN practice in Fairfax, broke its own record, delivering 73 babies in March, topping the center’s previous milestone of 62 deliveries in December 2005.

According to Bob Laird, practice administrator at Tepeyac, the increase in births at the center is a result of an advertising push last summer that followed the addition of two doctors to the practice. The campaign — launched in parish bulletins and on the radio — brought “a huge blip in new patients,” Laird said. “When you add nine months to that, we knew we were going to get deliveries.”

Women typically arrive at Tepeyac either by word of mouth, advertising or via a recommendation from their insurance company, Laird said. But the center also gets a number of referrals from crisis pregnancy centers, including the Arlington Diocese’s Gabriel Project, a parish-based program helping pregnant women in need, which referred nearly 50 women to Tepeyac last year. Another 52 women came from other local crisis pregnancy centers.

“We have a very, very special relationship with several of the crisis pregnancy centers, and especially with Gabriel Project,” Laird said. “We each contribute financially to the mix — (Gabriel with its Gift for Life program and Tepeyac with its Divine Mercy charity fund) — and I think that’s the beauty of the relationship with Gabriel.”

According to Sarah LaPierre, Gabriel Project program director, the number of mothers that Gabriel Project has referred to Tepeyac has increased steadily over the past five years, from 16 in 2004 to 48 in 2008. Tepeyac increasingly has become a resource for Gabriel moms “because they respect each mom with such dignity and love,” LaPierre said.

Now, the bad news.

Despite the increase in births both nationwide and locally, the struggling economy has also led to an increasing number of women choosing to have an abortion over the pressure of having another mouth to feed.

According to a Catholic News Service story earlier this month, abortion clinics nationwide have reported a swell in the numbers of clients in the last few months. Planned Parenthood in some states reported record-high numbers in the latter half of 2008, according to CNS, despite the fact that abortion numbers have been in decline nationwide in the last few years.

These reports are “disheartening,” said Thérèse Bermpohl, director of the diocesan Family Life Office. “But with Gabriel Project and Tepeyac Family Center, these women have alternatives.”

That’s where the news turns hopeful again, as Gabriel Project and Tepeyac continue to work together.

Any calls Gabriel Project receives from “abortion-minded women” are referred to Tepeyac for a free ultrasound.

“We try to give them as much information as possible before they make such a big decision that has such major effects,” LaPierre said. “We try to see why the mom thinks she should have an abortion and try to come up with practical solutions for them.”

Because Gabriel Project picks up the tab for most mothers’ prenatal care, their relationship with Tepeyac is critical.

“We have a good partnership with (Tepeyac),” LaPierre said. “They’re working with us and giving us a special rate.”

“We sort of split the cost,” Laird said. “We count upon the generosity of everybody to give us the money to do this.”

By covering the cost of prenatal care, Tepeyac and Gabriel Project together offer a solution for women who otherwise may not be able to afford medical care during their pregnancies. But the staffs at both offices provide more than referrals, blood work and ultrasounds. Gabriel Project offers emotional and spiritual support for the women, and Tepeyac provides a similar quality experience.

“We hear over and over again from the moms how wonderful the care is that they’re receiving (at Tepeyac),” LaPierre said. “The staff may actually pray with them during the appointments. It’s more than just maternity care; it’s the whole person, including spiritual care.”

These reports are consistent with the type of medical service Tepeyac strives to provide.

“I like to say that people come to us not necessarily because we’re the Catholic practice, but because we’re good to the patients,” Laird said.

Gabriel Project is only a partial contributor to the 160 percent increase in patients at Tepeyac in the last year. The center is the largest private practice that sends pregnant women to INVOA Fair Oaks Hospital, and Laird said he expects the center only to keep growing.

“Our medical practice model is a success story in our area and one that provides valuable services to our patients,” Laird said. “We expect to continue to see significant growth in the years ahead, as long as we can practice medicine in accordance with our consciences and the best science has to offer.”

With the birth rate topping the charts, that’s maybe the best news of all.

Find out more

Tepeyac: 703/273-9440

Gabriel Project: 703/841-3810 or gabrielproject@arlingtondiocese.org

Mark your calendars

A Mass for new and expectant parents will be celebrated May 3 at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Alexandria at 12:30 p.m. Attending parents will receive a blessing from celebrant Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde. Refreshments will follow. For information call 703/841-2550 or e-mail familylife@arlingtondiocese.org.