Indiana is expanding a program to provide life-affirming support to help pregnant moms choose life for their babies.
This fall, pro-life Indiana Gov. Mike Pence awarded $3.5 million to Real Alternatives, a Pennsylvania-based pro-life organization that will “enable pregnant women in Indiana to maintain pregnancy and achieve positive healthy pregnancy outcomes through provision of pregnancy support services and referrals to care,” according to the Associated Press.
“Real Alternatives offers life-affirming and compassionate care to women throughout pregnancy and as they begin their parenting journey,” said Mike Fichter, president and CEO of Indiana Right to Life, in a press release. “We have seen positive results from one year of Real Alternatives in Northern Indiana, and we look forward to seeing what the statewide impact of Real Alternatives will look like. We thank Gov. Mike Pence for expanding Real Alternatives throughout the state.”
The pilot program in Northern Indiana, which began in October 2014 with $1 million, helped 8,452 clients with pregnancy and parenting support services, according to the release.
Through the program, pregnant and parenting women can receive clothing, food, counseling, parenting classes, information about adoption, and referrals for housing, medical and legal services, according to the press release. Counseling about depression, drug abuse, grief, physical and sexual abuse also will be offered to clients.
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Under the new contract, Real Alternatives will expand its program by partnering with pro-life service providers across the state. The new contract will continue through Sept. 20, 2016.
The pro-life non-profit also administers programs in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Its mission is to “empower women to protect their reproductive health, avoid crisis pregnancies, choose childbirth rather than abortion, receive adoption education, and improve parenting skills.” More than 250,000 women have received help for themselves and their babies through the program, according to the organization’s website.
The expanding program is expected to help lower Indiana’s already declining abortion rates. Abortions have dropped in Indiana for six consecutive years, LifeNews previously reported. Last year’s 8,118 abortions are half of Indiana’s all-time high number of 16,505 abortions in 1980.
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