Many states fund abortion, but Texas gives state funds to adoption agencies, maternity homes, and pregnancy resource centers because they help women and families choose Life when facing unexpected pregnancies. This is accomplished through the Thriving Texas Families program. But abortion advocates and bureaucratic agencies are always working to undermine this effort. Texas Right to Life needs your help to protect these life-affirming resources so Texas can continue helping mothers choose Life in difficult circumstances.
The Thriving Texas Families program, previously known as the Alternatives to Abortion program, was established in 2005 and provides critical social services to expectant mothers and parents of young children. One of the main factors that push women toward abortion is lack of support. These providers, especially pregnancy resource centers, combat this pressure by offering free services such as life-skills training, counseling, child care, maternal supplies, job skills training, adoption, housing placement assistance, and parenting classes.
Just this past year, the program provided services through 190 brick-and-mortar locations and a dozen other mobile and virtual locations. Through these partnerships, the Thriving Texas Families program contracting providers were able to serve 150,034 unique clients who received 2,857,597 different services.
With abortion still taking an estimated 30,000 preborn Texan lives each year due to abortion pills entering the state and out-of-state abortion travel, this program is more crucial than ever.
But, right now this Pro-Life program is in crisis. There are three areas the Thriving Texas Families program needs our legislature to act on to protect this life-affirming legacy, and you can help.
Challenge 1: Lack in Funding
Right now, this Pro-Life program needs $210 million to fully meet the needs of women and families. But the Texas Senate has only set aside $180 million, and the House even less—just $140 million for the next two years. Without enough funding, pregnancy centers will not be able to keep up with the growing demand. That means more women could be left without support, just as the abortion industry ramps up their attacks.
The House will vote on this on Thursday, April 10th. You can call or email your Texas House elected official and tell them to fully fund this Pro-Life program!
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Challenge 2: Funding Non-Life-Affirming Providers
Lawmakers must make sure that Thriving Texas Families’ funds only go to organizations that support life-affirming providers. The program was created to help women choose Life instead of abortion. But recently, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) sent state money to the Bexar County Hospital District, which referred patients to Planned Parenthood—going against both the Pro-Life values of Texas and the purpose of the Thriving Texas Families program.
Taxpayer dollars should never go to groups that promote abortion. Senate Bill 1388 by Senator Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) and House Bill 5285 by Representative Frank (R-Wichita Falls) would stop the Health and Human Services Commission from overstepping its authority and make sure the programs funds stay with the life-affirming organizations they were meant to support.
SB 1388 has passed the Senate and is waiting now to be debated in a House committee any day.
Challenge 3: New Funding Model Threatens Care for Pregnant Women
The HHSC changed how the Thriving Texas Families program works in February—without asking for any input from the public or elected leaders. These changes made it harder for pregnancy centers to serve women. With your help, Texas Right to Life was able to fight back against some of the harmful changes, but one big problem remains: the new funding model the health commission is pushing.
Right now, pregnancy centers and adoption agencies provide care, report what they did, and then get reimbursed. This system allows them to focus on helping women instead of getting buried in paperwork. Now, the Health and Human Services Commission insists on a cost-reimbursement model that requires complex calculations and paperwork, diverting resources from direct care. The current fee-for-service model is nearly twice as cost-effective for the state and has been used by most Thriving Texas Families providers for 20 years. Changing it would hurt smaller pregnancy centers, strain donations and volunteer help, and ultimately mean less support for women—while costing the state more money for fewer results.
The House will vote on this on Thursday, April 10th too. You can call or email your Texas House elected official and tell them to protect pregnancy centers by maintaining the fee-for-service model!
Solutions:
To address these issues, the Texas Legislature must:
- Fully fund the TTF at $210 million;
- Pass Senate Bill 1388 by Senator Kolkhorst and House Bill 5285 by Representative Frank, ensuring the program’s funds are directed only to life-affirming providers; and
- Add an amendment to the budget or SB 1388 or HB 5285 to protect the reimbursement model, protecting pregnancy resource centers.
This is a crucial time for the Texas Legislature to stand firm on its Pro-Life values. If they do not act, pregnant women and their babies could lose access to the support they desperately need. Pregnancy centers and adoption agencies may struggle to continue their life-saving work. As Pro-Life advocates, we must ensure these vital services remain available for women facing crisis pregnancies.
Your lawmakers need to hear from you. Contact your state officials and urge them to pass SB 1388 and HB 5285 to strengthen and fully fund the Thriving Texas Families program!
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