By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
I recently downloaded a photo onto my phone showing a precious baby smiling for the camera, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
This is a baby whose mother was helped by Pennsylvania’s Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services program, which is administered by Real Alternatives, Inc.
Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro has threatened to do away with the program, which has served more than 350,000 women over nearly 30 years. That’s three decades’ worth of moms and their babies, getting the comprehensive support they need.
While the Governor claims that he is for “choice,” a cancellation of the program would lead many women to feel as if they have no choice but abortion. This prediction is supported by research which shows that, of women who had abortions and who regretted them, 85 percent said they would have chosen life for their children if just one person had been supportive of their pregnancy—just one!
That one person is often at a pregnancy resource center, maternity home, or adoption agency—the very organizations the Governor wants to defund. It is alarming and cruel to rip apart the safety net for these women who desperately need the services the Pennsylvania program provides.
I wish I had a chance to show the Governor the photo of that sweet baby that I keep on my phone. Could he look at that incredible face and still seek to deny the child’s mother the assistance she needed at a challenging moment in her life?
Thousands of women are being put at grave risk by the Governor’s plan to cancel Real Alternatives’ contract. To send an immediate message to your state lawmakers to save this critical program, please visit www.paprolife.org .