Shapiro administration ends contract with crisis pregnancy center funders

[FakeNoose]

Philly Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/health/crisis-pregnancy-center-abortion-real-alternatives-state-funding-ending-pennsylvania-20230809.html

Gov. Josh Shapiro says his administration will cut ties with an organization that funds “crisis pregnancy centers” when its multimillion dollar state contract expires at the end of the year.

Real Alternatives, a Harrisburg nonprofit, for decades has received millions in funding from the state legislature earmarked for programs that offer alternatives to abortion. State lawmakers have also sent Real Alternatives about $1 million per year in federal funding from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which is intended to provide cash assistance to women and children in poverty.

In Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives funds 27 facilities that dissuade clients from obtaining abortions and instead offer pregnancy and parenting support. Advocates for reproductive rights have for years criticized these centers, saying they distribute misleading information to vulnerable patients seeking help with an unplanned pregnancy.

“For decades, taxpayer dollars have gone to fund Real Alternatives. My administration will not continue that pattern – we will ensure women in this commonwealth receive the reproductive health care they deserve,” Shapiro said in the statement. Shapiro’s administration said the state Department of Human Services will instead ask for applications from women’s health providers across the state to fund women’s health programs.

- more at link -

Well THIS is awesome, and it should have happened years ago. Thank you Governor Shapiro!