Posted December 11, 2008






By Nadia Maria Smith
CS&T Staff Writer

UPPER DARBY – Dr. George Isajiw is no stranger to the pro-life movement.

He has been practicing medIcine for the past 30 years and has a successful practice in Lansdowne, Delaware County, where he not only sees his regular patients as a primary care physician, but also counsels women in crisis pregnancy situations free of charge.

He explains fetal development, gives them an ultrasound and describes exactly what abortion is; including the various procedures and their side effects. His desire is to give women who are thinking of having an abortion accurate information in the hopes that they will recognize the sanctity of the human life growing within them.

“It is the most ‘pro-choice’ thing you can do,” Dr. Isajiw said. “If a woman insists on having an abortion after that, I can’t stop her, but she gets the choice of changing her mind and getting all this help she needs provided by places like Mothers’ Home.”

Dr. Isajiw, a parishioner of St. Lawrence Parish in Highland Park, is a founding member of Mothers’ Home, a residential shelter for mothers in crisis pregnancies who are having their babies but need assistance to do it.

Located in Darby, Mothers’ Home focuses on the physical, emotional and developmental needs of the mothers and their unborn children. The shelter staff provides positive life skills, parenting and job preparation, as well as assisting the mothers-to-be in reaching independence and self-sufficiency.

“The beauty of Mothers’ Home is the way it is set up,” Dr. Isajiw said. “We take women who do not qualify for some of the maternity homes for some reason, and the mothers can stay after the baby is born if they need to continue to develop a plan for up to six months after their baby is born.”

The support, love and comfort found at Mothers’ Home has helped women for nearly two decades. It is why Dr. Isajiw not only continues to serve on the board, but began his own little fundraiser this Christmas season to benefit the home.

He is selling 14-month 2009-2010 “Life before Birth” calendars that picture babies before they are born through the use of 4D ultrasounds. The calendar undeniably yet inoffensively champions the pro-life message. On the back there is a full “Milestones of an Unborn Baby” section that highlights the baby’s development in the womb. The proceeds will be donated to Mothers’ Home.

“The calendar itself calls attention to the humanity of the unborn child,” Dr. Isajiw said. “That’s why I think it’s great not just for a fundraiser but also to educate people.”

Dr. Isajiw and his wife Patricia have seven adult children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

To order a “Life before Birth” calendar, call Dr. Isajiw’s office at (610) 626-4397. For more information about Mothers’ Home, visit www.mothershome.org.

CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith may be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.