Pregnancy and Parenting Support Programs Assist Over 440,000 Women and Lowers Abortion During Bad Economy!
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, November 1, 2022 –Pennsylvania’s first-in-the-nation Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program has served over 342,000 women the last 27 years. Started in 1996 to offer women counseling and mentoring support as an alternative to abortion, the statewide Program has provided over 1.9 million support service visits to women throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Real Alternatives is the statewide administrator for the Program. Kevin Bagatta, President and CEO of Real Alternatives said, “It has been so gratifying over these years that so many women who were alone and facing a crisis pregnancy had another person to assist them and empower them to overcome obstacles and pressures so they could choose life for their preborn baby.” Real Alternatives uses a network of 77 pregnancy support centers, Catholic Charities, and maternity homes, and their over 275 caring and compassionate trained counselors to provide free pregnancy support and parenting education services to women and families in our state.
In fiscal year 2021-2022 ending June 30, 2022, 11,259 women were provided comprehensive counseling, mentoring, education, and support services that were available to them throughout their nine (9) months of pregnancy and twelve (12) months after the birth of their baby. The program received funding of $7.263 million that fiscal year through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.
In addition, the Indiana Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program, also administered by Real Alternatives, has served 96,000 women the last seven years at 246,566 visits. In the fiscal year 2021-2022 ending September 30, 2022, 12,834 were served by 155 counselors throughout the state of Indiana. The program received funding of $2.95 million that fiscal year through the Indiana Department of Health.
Real Alternatives Vice President of Operations, Thomas Lang pointed out, “With the difficult economic times we have experienced the last couple of years, comes increased pressure to abort. For women who come to our Programs pressured by others to abort, 82-84% no longer consider abortion after receiving services in our Program.” Lang continued,
“When explaining the program to government officials from other states, I’ll often ask them, ‘Do you know what they call a positive approach to the most controversial issue of our time? ……They call it a solution!’” Bagatta said. Real Alternatives has assisted 14 other states to start taxpayer-funded programs to reach out to women facing unexpected pregnancies in their states.
View a Symposium on Pregnancy Support Services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at: Symposium-2022
