Good fruit emerging from the sad Susan Torres situation of last year:

Susan died after giving birth to their second child, Susan Anne Catherine, who was born premature after Susan had been declared to be "brain dead", and who also died five weeks later. Still, their lives were an inspiration and Susan and Jason’s marriage became a vital and living testimony of selfless love.

As Susan’s story became known, we began hearing from the families of other women who were suffering through their own pregnancy related health crises. There were mothers carrying their children who were diagnosed with cancer, and if they received treatment, their unborn babies’ lives would be threatened. Other women were being told that, unless they terminated their pregnancies, their own health might be threatened, or that of their child’s.

Their personal pain and suffering – the agony of being confronted with a life and death health crisis during the time when they anticipated the gift of life, was deeply moving, not only to us, but countless others who wanted to help.

After completing the first objectives of the fund – to absorb the enormous costs of caring for Susan and her unborn child, establishing an educational fund for their surviving child, and supporting maternal cancer research – Faith and Action determined to continue the work of the fund with a renewed mandate: to provide information and education to women experiencing pregnancy related health crises.

Faith and Action and the National Pro-Life Action Center became full partners with researchers and medical practitioners working in the field of pregnancy and abortion related cancers, prenatal diagnoses and women’s reproductive health issues.

A new fund, called Gianna’s Fund, in memory of the Italian physician St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who chose to give her unborn baby life and decline cancer treatment for herself, will continue the work begun with the Susan Torres Fund. A national educational campaign is being conducted helping women to learn about maternal health, avoidable risks to their and their unborn children’s’ health, and the correlation between reproductive health and cancer.