Since the devastating 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the abortion industry has consistently accused Pro-Lifers of being singularly pro-birth and indifferent to the wellbeing of women or their children after birth.
The abortion crowd wants the public to believe that without abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, pregnant women would be left without crucial care, and thus, the abortion industry must be promulgated and protected as the only resource truly “helping” women.
The Pro-Life Alternatives to Abortion program along with pregnancy resource centers are proving just how deceitful these accusations are.
In 2005, the 79th Texas Legislature established the Alternatives to Abortion (A2A) Program to promote Life and to empower women before, during, and after their unexpected pregnancies.
The A2A program provides critical social services not only to birth parents, but to all parents, including adoptive couples, throughout pregnancy and up to three years after the child’s birth or two years after adoption finalization.
A2A is a statewide network of pregnancy resource centers, adoption agencies, social service organizations, and maternity homes that are reimbursed for offering myriad types of free assistance to clients.
These services foster a stable social and economic foundation to strengthen Texas families while informing pregnant women about all available resources before, during, and after pregnancy.
Since the inception of A2A, the program has grown exponentially. In 2020 alone A2A reported providing 1,079,731 services to 101,099 individual clients, marking a 52% increase compared to the previous year.
Demand consistently exceeds supply, and the COVID-induced economic and health crises further highlighted the necessity of this life-affirming program.
One of the great victories for preborn Texans during the Regular Session of the 87th Texas Legislature was increased funding for A2A by $20 million, bringing the program’s biennial budget to $100 million.
Despite decades of success and transparent fiscal accountability, the A2A program is constantly under attack from the leftist abortion crowd.
False Claim: A2A contractors and pregnancy resource centers are “fake clinics.”
Truth: The Alternatives to Abortion program is a social services program, not a medical program. Though some PRCs offer forms of minimal medical care, the program was never intended to provide full medical services. PRCs offer options and life-affirming assistance, and are therefore incomparable to medical service providers.
False Claim: The A2A state-funded program has minimal to no oversight.
Truth: The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) strictly oversees A2A to ensure compliance with the contract rules and fiscal accountability. The program is structured on a fee for service basis, so providers are only eligible to receive reimbursements for services already provided. Each A2A contractor is required to submit monthly reports to HHSC. HHSC in turn submits an annual report to the Legislative Budget Board and the governor. The program itself also goes through an A133 audit annually, and HHSC conducts a review of each A2A contractor with a state auditor every other year.
Further, for a PRC to become a subcontractor under the A2A umbrella, the center must undergo a rigorous qualification process and meet the standards required by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Not all pregnancy resource centers choose to participate in the A2A program and operate independently while other centers do not qualify.
False Claim: The A2A program is “secretive” since contractors are not required to record pregnancy outcomes.
Truth: This accusation of “secrecy” is only intended to disrupt confidence in PRCs and the A2A program. PRCs within the A2A contract are 100% transparent and are required by law to consistently document to HHSC proper use of funds and disclose the information and materials given to clients. A2A providers must also record numerous data points for HHSC, including the number of clients served, their age and gender, and the types of services provided, but not pregnancy outcomes.
A2A contractors are not required to record pregnancy outcomes after a client visit for obvious logistical reasons: (a) the confidentiality of the clients, and (2) to avoid the appearance of pressuring clients. Compassion and discretion are necessary when counseling an abortion-vulnerable woman. Of course, the intent of A2A is to encourage women to choose Life, but reporting these choices to a government agency risks exploitation of the women and is inconsistent with empowering women in their time of crisis.
Abortion advocates despise the Alternatives to Abortion program because women who visit a pregnancy resource center, like those in the A2A program, are at least 20% less likely to seek an abortion than women who do not visit a PRC.
A2A undermines the bottom line of the for-profit abortion industry. An abortion mill typically charges $100 “consultation” fee on a first visit. Then, the abortion industry charges hundreds to thousands of dollars to end the Life of a preborn child. In contrast, A2A contractors provide all services free-of-charge before, during, and after pregnancy.
The abortion industry is losing hundreds to thousands of dollars every time a pregnant mother chooses Life.
Texas women deserve to know the options available to empower them to choose Life. There are at least 323 Pro-Life organizations, adoption entities, and social service agencies across Texas that are eager and willing to assist women who wish to and have chosen Life.
No one should feel hopeless or alone when choosing life — Pro-Life Texans use pregnancy resource centers and the Alternatives to Abortion program to ensure women have this needed support.
*Texas Right to Life does not receive any funds from the Alternatives to Abortion program. We advocate without charge in defense of this program in order to empower A2A to support women, children, and families without charge.*
If you or someone you know is pregnant, has questions, or needs help, please contact the following A2A contractors to find assistance near you: Texas Pregnancy Care Network at 336-274-4881 or Human Coalition at 214-295-7301.