Contact: Kevin I. Bagatta, Esquire, 717-541-7832 HARRISBURG, Penn., Feb. 26, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- 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 FY 2012-2013, 19,325 women were provided comprehensive free, caring and compassionate pregnancy support and parenting services. As the historical data always bears out, with increased taxpayer funding to $6.044 million through PA's Department of Public Welfare, the Real Alternatives' network of Service Providers were able to increase the number of women served.
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 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 each year.
Since its inception in FY 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 Philadelphia, to find more innovative ways to bring life-affirming support services where they are most needed. The result was the New Beginnings Van.
Spear-headed by Amy Stoner, Director of Community-based Services, [pictured with the van] she explained: "The Beautiful Beginnings van 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 Beautiful Beginnings van positions us better than ever before to ensure that they have every opportunity to make the choice for life.""
Commenting on the increased services, lower abortions, and the Beautiful Beginnings Van, Real Alternatives' President Kevin 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 pregnancies. This is how we need to be helping women instead of abortion." Visit www.RealAlternatives.org/film.
