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Offering Real Alternatives to Women in Crisis draws pro-abortion ire | NRL News Today

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Offering Real Alternatives to Women in Crisis draws pro-abortion ire | NRL News Today

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By Maria Gallagher, legislative director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

Perhaps the biggest evidence that Pennsylvania's landmark Alternatives to Abortion program is working-and working exceedingly well-is the fact that it is being targeted in the pro-abortion blogosphere.

RH Reality Check, an online apologist for the abortion industry, is bemoaning the fact that the program-which is administered by Real Alternatives, Inc.-has received a vote of confidence by state leaders in the form of additional proposed funding. Whenever successful pregnancy resource centers earn accolades-and modest funding-they come under fierce attack from abortion businesses and their advocates.

Here's an example of why the program has earned the ire of pro-abortion extremists.

The young woman who walks into the office may have been pro-life since she first became aware of the issue of abortion. And then, she finds herself pregnant, her boyfriend abandons her, and she feels completely alone. In that hour of crisis, she may be tempted to seek an abortion.

But the kind, compassionate woman who greets her in the pregnancy help center waiting room is just the person she needs in her life at this critical time, who can shine a light in the darkness which threatens to envelop her.

This is what Pennsylvania's Alternatives to Abortion program offers-a ray of hope, a listening ear, a kind word, a trusted ally. The landmark program has now served more than 200,000 clients and their families-and similar programs have germinated across the nation.

The program was the brain child of former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey and it enjoys the support of current Governor Tom Corbett, along with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers. Women facing unexpected pregnancies need more than a pamphlet, according to Real Alternatives President and CEO Kevin Bagatta. They need a person who will walk with them during their journey, who will offer comprehensive support, and who will not judge them.

And the program has had phenomenal success throughout the Commonwealth. Consider these figures from the 2010-11 fiscal year:

64% of women entering the program who were considering abortion chose childbirth

88% of women who were pressured by others to abort chose childbirth

67% of women who were pressured by others AND considering abortion chose childbirth

Real Alternatives also offers a toll-free hotline-1-888-Life-aid, which connects women to their local pregnancy resource centers, where they can receive free pregnancy tests, counseling, and support for themselves and their babies, both during their pregnancies and in the 12 months afterward.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, has voiced strong support for the program, noting its ability to stand beside women in their hour of need. Pastors throughout the state have also hailed the program for its life-affirming, life-changing focus.

One national poll showed that more than 80 percent of the post-abortive women surveyed would have chosen life for their children-had just one person offered support. For many Pennsylvania women, that one person has been found at a Real Alternatives center.

"Number one, you're not alone," Real Alternatives' Kevin Bagatta said in a recent K-LOVE Radio interview. "There are people who care about you...so you can be empowered...to choose life."
For more information about Real Alternatives, visit www.realalternatives.org.

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Offering Real Alternatives to Women in Crisis draws pro-abortion ire - NRL News Today

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By Maria Gallagher, legislative director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Perhaps the biggest evidence that Pennsylvania's landmark Alternatives to Abortion program is working-and working exceedingly well-is the fact that it is being targeted in the pro-abortion blogosphere.

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Pennsylvania Catholic Conference  » Offering Real Alternatives to Women in Crisis

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Pennsylvania Catholic Conference  » Offering Real Alternatives to Women in Crisis

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Indiana to Fund Pregnancy Center Program That Dropped Abortions to Record Low Elsewhere | LifeNews.com

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Indiana to Fund Pregnancy Center Program That Dropped Abortions to Record Low Elsewhere | LifeNews.com

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After a yearlong pilot program in the northern part of Indiana served over 8,400 clients with help through local pregnancy centers, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence announced a statewide contract with Real Alternatives through the coming year.

Indiana marks the third state that has contracted with Real Alternatives, a pregnancy and support services program that directs a portion of states' Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to local life-affirming centers.

According to a release from Gov. Pence's office Monday afternoon, funds are earmarked for "counseling for breastfeeding, childcare, depression, drug abuse, grief, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, fetal development, and more."

"Today's announcement marks an important step for the health of Hoosier women and families in Indiana, and this additional funding will ensure important organizations across our state can continue supporting those in need," Gov. Pence said in the press release announcing the new contract.

Over the past year, Indiana's health department contracted with Real Alternatives to fund 16 centers in northern Indiana. The results, as Gov. Pence pointed out, were unmistakably positive, with the state's $1 million commitment resulting in over 8,400 clients served over the course of close to 17,000 client visits.

The new contract calls for state funding to the tune of $3.5 million in TANF dollars distributed to local pregnancy centers through Real Alternatives.

"We are very excited to hear of Governor Pence's decision to expand our life-affirming program throughout the State of Indiana," Kevin I. Bagatta, Esq., president and CEO of Real Alternatives, said. "Real Alternatives-funded service providers reach out to help women in unexpected pregnancies who many time are alone and feel hopeless. Now that great work that has been started can be expanded."

As is the case with its existing contracts in Michigan and Pennsylvania-where Bagatta started the program in 1997-centers make use of the funding by billing the state for specified services already covered by TANF.
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Real Alternatives has served over 250,000 women for a total of 1.3 million client visits at 95 centers in Pennsylvania over the life of the program.

In Michigan, where Real Alternatives has been administering funds to 17 centers in the southern region of the state since late 2013, over 1,700 women have been served for a total of 4,846 visits.

"With these taxpayer resources, service providers can empower even more women to choose life," Bagatta said. "The support does not end after the birth of the baby. This comprehensive program also provides parenting support to ensure healthy outcomes for the women and her baby."

Click here to find out more about Real Alternatives.
LifeNews Note: Jay Hobbs writes for PregnancyHelpNews, where this originally appeared.

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indiana to fund pregnancy center program that dropped abortions to record low elsewhere

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Indiana to Fund Pregnancy Center Program That Dropped Abortions to Record Low Elsewhere

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After a yearlong pilot program in the northern part of Indiana served over 8,400 clients with help through local pregnancy centers, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence announced a statewide contract with Real Alternatives through the coming year.

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Pennsylvania Catholic Conference  » Pregnancy Support to Women Lowers Abortions in Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania Catholic Conference  » Pregnancy Support to Women Lowers Abortions in Pennsylvania

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News Release from Real Alternatives:
For the fourth year in a row, Real Alternatives, the statewide administrator of the Pennsylvania Alternatives to Abortion Program, reports an increase in the number of women served. In fiscal year 2012-2013, 19,325 women were provided comprehensive free, caring and compassionate pregnancy support and parenting education services. For many such women, they were served at one of Real Alternative's contracted sites across Pennsylvania throughout the full nine (9) months of their pregnancy, and for twelve (12) additional months after the birth of their baby. As the historical data always bears out, with increased funding to $6.044 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year through PA's Department of Public Welfare, the Real Alternatives statewide network of Service Providers were able to increase the number of women they were able to serve. The statewide program's administrative cost ratio fell once again to 7.36%.

Not surprisingly, the recently released 2012 Abortion Statistics from the PA Department of Health reveal that there was 33,166 abortions, an almost 4% decrease in the number of abortions performed on residents of Pennsylvania as compared to the previous year. In fact, over the last four years, while Real Alternatives' client numbers increased each year, there has been a steady decrease in the number of abortions in PA each year.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, 95 Real Alternatives-funded pregnancy support centers, social service agencies, maternity homes, and adoption agencies throughout the Commonwealth provided services to those 19,325 women at 90,002 visits. Since its inception in fiscal year 1995-1996, the program has served over 228,000 women at over 1,140,000 visits.

Never satisfied in its quest to reach out to all women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, Real Alternatives encouraged one of its service providers, Catholic Social Service of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, to find more innovative ways to bring life-affirming support services where they are most needed. The result was the New Beginnings Van [pictured above with Amy Stoner, Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia.

Spear-headed by Amy Stoner, Director of Community-based Services, she explained: "The New Beginnings mobile unit extends the reach of our counselors and resources beyond site-based engagement. We are no longer limited by where we have offices, or whether a prospective client can get to us. Now we are going out to them, in their neighborhoods, even in their own homes. The New Beginnings van is a visible witness to our support for pregnant moms, and positions us better than ever before to ensure that they have every opportunity to make the choice for life. With seasoned counselors now deployed right where the action is, this is truly front line pro-life work."

Thomas A. Lang, Esquire, Vice President of Operations, agreed: "Through this mobile program you can have counselors right there who can provide the women support counseling and other referrals and let them know that help is out there," he said.

Commenting on the increased services, lower abortions, and the New Beginnings Van, Real Alternatives' President and CEO, Kevin I. Bagatta, Esquire said, "With news like this it's not surprising to me that the State of Texas has been operating our program there since 2006, and that the State of Michigan recently requested Real Alternatives to operate our program in their state." Bagatta continued, "The program simply works because of the devoted counselors who work very hard to meet the needs of women who are experiencing unexpected, unplanned, and oftentimes, crisis pregnancies. This is how we need to be helping women, not pushing them to abort their babies." Visit www.RealAlternatives.org/film for a short film about the program. For more information, call Kevin Bagatta at 717-541-1112, or by e-mail to ra-admin@comcast.net.

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Pregnancy Support to Women Lowers Abortions in Pennsylvania

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News Release from Real Alternatives: For the fourth year in a row, Real Alternatives, the statewide administrator of the Pennsylvania Alternatives to Abortion Program, reports an increase in the number of women served. In fiscal year 2012-2013, 19,325 women were provided comprehensive free, caring and compassionate pregnancy support and parenting education services.

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Finding Real Alternatives to Abortion - ZENIT - English

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Finding Real Alternatives to Abortion - ZENIT - English

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Interview With Official of Pro-life Government-Funded Agency

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, APRIL 19, 2007 ( Zenit.org).- In 1995, Pennsylvania started a bold, state-funded initiative to reduce the number of abortions by providing pregnant women the necessary resources to keep their children.

In this interview with ZENIT, Kevin Bagatta, president & chief executive officer of Real Alternatives, (www.realalternatives.org/aboutus), discusses the Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortion Services Program and how it has helped abortion rates in the state to fall steadily.

Q: How did you get involved in Real Alternatives?

Bagatta: My three brothers and I were born and raised on Long Island, New York. Both of our parents are handicapped. My Italian-American dad, a World War II veteran, walks with cane and a brace and my Irish-American mom became paralyzed with polio during the polio epidemic.

They both taught us - and still do - the true value of life. Having watched the culture of death practiced by Nazi Germany, they immediately explained to my brothers and I how wrong the Roe vs. Wade decision was that legalized abortion in America and the ill effects it would have on our country.

Q: Real Alternatives seeks to encourage childbirth instead of abortion. How did it begin?

Bagatta: In 1994, Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey placed alternative to abortion services program funding in the state budget.

In 1995, I answered an advertisement in the local newspaper from a pro-life organization looking for a director to start a statewide government-funded program.

Real Alternatives was established to be the statewide administrator of the Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortions Services Program [PAASP].

With a dedicated staff of 12 and nine board members, we contract with 120 service providers made up of pregnancy support centers, social service agencies like Catholic Charities, adoption agencies and maternity homes throughout the state to reach out to women in unplanned or crisis pregnancies.

The concept of government-funded social services is not new.

Well over 30 years ago, the state saw nonprofit charitable agencies that served women who were in a unique crisis either due to domestic violence or rape, and decided to fund them so they would provide more service and reach more women.

With PAASP, the state saw nonprofit charitable agencies serving women who uniquely experience another type of crisis - an unplanned pregnancy. By funding these nonprofit charities, the centers would be able to have the necessary resources to reach more women.

That is exactly what has happened. In fiscal year 1996, we served 6,715 women statewide with 72 centers. In fiscal year 2005, we served 16,600 women with 120 centers. With the necessary financial resources, centers opened more sites and hired more counselors and continue to serve more women in need. To date, over 123,000 women have been served under the program.

Q: Does Real Alternatives have appeal for abortion-advocates as well?

Bagatta: It ought to. Once there is a crisis pregnancy, this is the only program established to help a woman in need choose life. By providing a counselor to be with the woman in need from the moment she finds out she is pregnant to 12 months after the birth of the baby, this program empowers the mother to overcome her obstacles and crisis. She is not alone. She knows someone is with her to help her.

An alternative to abortion is not a pamphlet, it is another person; it is one woman seeing another woman in crisis and loving her and supporting her like she is her own daughter. This program represents the best in America.

Q: Recently you began working with faith-based organizations. How does that teamwork happen, practically speaking?

Bagatta: This has been a greatly welcomed change in our ability to use experienced service providers to serve women throughout the state.

Again, due to interpretation of U.S. Supreme Court First Amendment cases, we were restricted in the type of faith-based organizations we were allowed to contract due to the program being funded with government money.

Thanks to President George Bush's Faith-Based Initiative Executive Order, all entities administering government funds are allowed to contract with faith-based organizations as long as the faith-based organization keeps their promotion of religion separate from the government-funded service.

Now, women can receive our government-funded service from a faith-based organization like Catholic Charities and also receive religious services and support.

Q: Your program recommends abstinence for young people. What is the most difficult part of educating youth in this?

Bagatta: Remember, when we see young women in our centers they have already become sexually active.

Not all young women, however, who think they are pregnant when they come to our centers are indeed pregnant. For them, our goal is modify their risky lifestyle and behavior, not accommodate it.

We do not want them to come through our doors again. We not only want them to avoid a teen pregnancy but also a sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence is the only way to lower teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Since this is the healthiest lifestyle for teens; this is what we recommend.

Youth and parents are very ignorant or misinformed about the epidemic of sexually transmitted disease among our teenage population.

In America, one out of two youths will acquire an STD before the age of 25. The only contraceptive that attempts to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is the condom and it fails.

For example, in 2001, a U.S. governmental study revealed no proof that condoms prevented transmission of gonorrhea, chlamydia infection, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, syphilis, chancroid, and HPV-associated diseases.

We have known for years that certain strains of HPV cause deadly cervical cancer. Once we found out about these studies, we told the teenage girls this information so they could avoid these diseases - which in some cases are incurable and cause death - through abstinence.

Teenagers are smart and want the facts.

Q: Your Web site explains that a main goal is providing information so that a client can make an educated and informed choice about her health and that of her baby. How much does a "typical" client know about abortion?

Bagatta: Many times a woman assumes that there is just this "blob of tissue" that is removed. This is why tasteful, medically accurate fetal development photos interest her and why we have them on our Web site.

In addition, counselors provide information of the types of abortion performed and the risks associated with abortion. This information is provided to ensure that women who are considering abortion are fully informed about what is occurring in an abortion and of the ramifications of that decision.

The primary purpose of the program is to provide pregnancy support services that promote childbirth instead of abortion. Women seeking alternatives to abortion appreciate as many facts as possible when they are undecided about what to do in a crisis pregnancy. Providing her with facts empowers her and ensures she is fully informed before she makes a decision.

Q: Real Alternatives continues to provide assistance to mothers and fathers even after babies are born. Why and how does this work?

Bagatta: The client arrives at the service provider and starts to receive counseling support that meets her needs.

If she is not sure she is pregnant, then a pregnancy self-test kit will be offered to her. If she is pregnant, the counselor will listen to the expressed concern she has about the pregnancy. If she is new to parenting, parenting classes or stress management counseling might be offered to ensure the crisis pregnancy does not become a crisis-parenting situation.

Each woman seeking the services comes as a unique individual. As such, her family, her education, her beliefs and her experiences shape her.

This program provides a person to assist and mentor the woman to overcome her obstacles and meet her needs from the time she finds out she is pregnant until her baby is 12 months old.

Q: Explain how other states have looked to Pennsylvania with thoughts of implementing similar programs. Could this become a nationwide program?

Bagatta: Once we established the program and abortions started to decrease in Pennsylvania, other state pro-life organizations became interested in this first-of-its-kind program. Remember, using tax dollars to promote life was revolutionary.

As a result of our educating these pro-life organization about the program, state governors and legislatures in Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Florida and Texas placed funding of Alternative to Abortion Services programs in their budgets.

Most of the states could not fund their programs at the $5.5 million a year level of Pennsylvania and now have much smaller programs. The state of Texas, however, proposed a large $2.5-million-a-year program and asked us to replicate our program there.

Real Alternatives, through its government audits, has earned the reputation in Pennsylvania as a fiscally responsible and trusted custodian of public funds.

This is the program that works in America lowering abortions and is certainly the compassionate and caring approach that should be tried in the rest of the world and funded as an additional program through the United Nations.

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Finding Real Alternatives to Abortion - ZENIT - English

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Interview With Official of Pro-life Government-Funded Agency HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, APRIL 19, 2007 ( Zenit.org).- In 1995, Pennsylvania started a bold, state-funded initiative to reduce the number of abortions by providing pregnant women the necessary resources to keep their children.

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Real Alternatives - Pregnancy Support Services

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Real Alternatives - Pregnancy Support Services

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Real Alternatives - Pregnancy Support Services

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Real Alternatives - A Pennsylvania-Based Organization That Supports Women in Michigan and Indiana.