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Key Components of the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program

A nonprofit founded in 1996, Real Alternatives offers assistance to women experiencing unexpected pregnancy. Through its Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program, Real Alternatives has transformed the lives of numerous women in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan. The program focuses on providing essential support services to women, some of which are: Counseling A majority of the counselors that Real Alternatives employs have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree in nursing or social work. The counselors offer confidential support, guidance, and encouragement in a nonjudgmental atmosphere so that women feel empowered to choose childbirth over adoption. Education Childbirth, pre- and post-natal, and pregnancy classes teach women about fetal development and their nutritional needs. Adoption Assistance Access to adoption service information and referral to licensed adoption agencies is provided to help find a loving couple to support and take care of the child. Tangible aid With the help of various service providers, women gain free access to food, clothing, and basic supplies for the child. Vocational training Participants in the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program receive education referrals and assistance with career decisions so they can achieve independence and self-sufficiency while caring for their children.

#pregnancy #parenting

Real Alternatives Offers Classes on Pregnancy and Parenting

For more than 20 years, Real Alternatives has worked closely with a network of service providers, including pregnancy support centers, social service agencies, and maternity homes, to offer pre- and post-natal support to women. Through these service providers, Real Alternatives offers a range of core and support services including life-skills training and education to women experiencing unexpected pregnancies. One-on-one sessions and group classes focused on pregnancy, parenting, and nutrition are available to women who participate in the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program. Counselors and mentors use educational materials such as books, brochures, videos, and fetal models to teach women about fetal development, nutritional requirements, and what to expect pre- and post-pregnancy. Women can also attend certified childbirth classes and take part in programs that help to relieve stress and encourage lifestyle changes to prevent unexpected pregnancy in the future. Real Alternatives regularly reviews the classes and training administered by the service providers to ensure that the information imparted is accurate, safe, and remains consistent with the organization’s goal of promoting childbirth over abortion.

#pregnancy #parenting #tips

Real Alternatives Empowers Women to Choose Childbirth Over Abortion

Based in Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives is a nonprofit organization that provides pregnancy and support services to women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. The counselors and staff at Real Alternatives Service Providers guide and engage both women in meaningful conversations that help them realize that abortion is not the only choice or solution. Counselors from Real Alternatives Service Providers have cited stories of pregnant women who resort to abortion because they are pressured by their parents, partners, and friends that it’s the right and only decision to make based on the circumstances. Some women are young and reluctant to face motherhood, while others are frightened about bringing a child into the world alone while poor. Counselors take the time to sit with these women to get a better understanding of their situation and empower them to choose childbirth over abortion. Once they get into the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program, they have access to regular counseling, mentoring, and classes to prepare them for motherhood. To ease some of their burdens, expectant mothers are also given financial assistance, temporary housing, food, baby clothes, and furniture. Many of these women who felt confused, hopeless or forced to make an abortion decision but reached out to Real Alternatives instead have transformed their lives. They have mended their relationships with their families, found stable jobs, and gone back to school after choosing childbirth.

#abortion #childbirth #services

Kevin Bagatta's Pro-Life Journey

Real Alternatives operates pregnancy support services at centers across Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan, offering women the support and resources they need to choose life. Funded through several government programs, Real Alternatives has seen substantial decreases in abortion rates under the leadership of its president and CEO, Kevin Bagatta. Born in Long Island, New York, Kevin Bagatta received an early introduction to the importance of choosing life. His handicap father and mother understood the ramifications of the Roe v. Wade court decision legalizing abortion, partly from seeing the results of the lack of appreciation for the sanctity of life in Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany disposed of lives, including the disabled, it deemed not worthy to live. His father had been exposed to Nazism firsthand while serving in the military during World War II. After graduating from law school while living in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, Kevin Bagatta saw an advertisement for a job with a pro-life organization to direct a program funded by the government. He ended up taking the job, becoming a pioneer in the pro-life and women's pregnancy support services movement. That led to the establishment of the organization Real Alternatives and his executive leadership of services funded by the Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortions Service Program.

#pro life

Real Alternatives Offers Empathetic Care to Pregnant Women

Real Alternatives works with women experiencing crisis pregnancies in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. The nonprofit provides free counseling, adoption referrals, and other services, all delivered with empathy and without judgment, to provide women with options outside of abortion. Recent years have seen a proliferation of research, in fields as diverse as neuroscience and social psychology, on the effects of empathy in professional-client relationships. Numerous studies have indicated the improvements in patient outcomes when doctors demonstrate empathy. For example, a 2014 article in the Hawaii Journal of Medicine and Public Health stated that medical providers’ empathy toward patients resulted in greater trust and a better exchange of needed information. The Association of American Medical Colleges has even listed the cultivation of empathy as a core portion of the professional curriculum it recommends for medical students. Social workers and those in other nonmedical helping professions also cite the ability to show empathy as an essential skill for constructive engagement with clients.

#real alternatives #pennsylvania #pregnancy #care #service

Helping Pregnant Women in Crisis through Real Alternatives

Real Alternatives maintains a range of local crisis pregnancy and counseling centers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. To date, hundreds of thousands of women have benefited from the free services provided by Real Alternatives; in one recent year alone, some 25,000 women received these services. The nonprofit offers a number of ways for interested parties to contribute to its mission. Making a tax-deductible donation helps Real Alternatives bring its program to other states. These new programs fund counseling sessions focused on abortion alternatives for women in crisis, support parenting education classes, as well as connections to adoption providers and social services. Donors should know that theses programs also provide housing, clothing, food, and other necessities for mother and child for up to a full year after a baby’s birth. The nonprofit also encourages people to let friends and family know about its toll-free hotline, 1-888-LIFE-AID. Additionally, sharing the nonprofit’s “Miracle of Life” video, available at RealAlternatives.org, helps to educate the public about the neurological development and full humanity of babies before birth.

#pregnant #crisis

Help in Saying No to Unwanted Sexual Experiences

Since 1996, Real Alternatives has sought to provide free, compassionate counseling and support to women going through crisis pregnancies. The organization offers a practical path to make it easier for women to choose life over abortion. In addition to its crisis pregnancy services, the organization supplies extensive information on making healthy lifestyle choices. Real Alternatives has dedicated a portion of its website to educating young people on how to deal with the pressure to become sexually active when they are not yet ready to do so. Contrary to the messages found in much of today’s popular culture, not all teens are having sex. In 2007, slightly less than 50 percent of students in high school had had sexual intercourse. In 2017, that figure dropped to about 40 percent. These numbers are significantly lower than the 54 percent who reported having had sex in 1991. However, studies show that more than half of teenage boys and close to three-fourths of girls reported wishing they had waited longer before taking the serious step of having sex. The counselors at Real Alternatives have provided a number of practice conversations that young people can have if they feel pressured to have sex. Find more tips on the organization’s website, RealAlternatives.org.

#Sexual #Saying No

Babies Perceive Music and Language while in the Womb

Real Alternatives contracts with Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana as a nonprofit provider of crisis pregnancy counseling, adoption referrals, and supportive social services. As part of its commitment to extending life-affirming support to pregnant women, the organization provides access to parenting classes and information on the development of babies before birth. Babies in utero have highly sophisticated nervous systems, and their rapidly growing brains respond to the sounds of music and language. In fact, researchers have demonstrated the importance of hearing sound for the development of an unborn baby’s ability to think and reason. Many experts believe that by about 23 weeks, an unborn baby can perceive sound. Moreover, research shows that the portions of the brain responsible for processing sounds are fully functioning by the last trimester. Unborn babies can detect the rhythms of both music and human speech. Scientists have found that after birth, babies retain memories of the sounds they heard in the womb. One study, conducted in the 1980s, showed that newborns seem to be already familiar with the sounds of their parents’ native language. Beyond promoting the development of the baby’s brain, reading aloud and listening to music help a mother to feel more relaxed, as does talking to her unborn baby. In this relaxed state, the mother’s body releases happiness-inducing chemicals into her baby’s bloodstream.

#babies #music #womb

The Problem of Forced Abortion around the World

Real Alternatives provides free counseling and crisis-related pregnancy services in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Real Alternatives focuses on empowering women by providing comprehensive information on adoption, as well as family support services should they choose to raise their babies themselves. While American law is clear that no one can force any woman - even if she is a minor - to have an abortion, in some countries, this right to personal autonomy is not respected. In some provinces in China, for example, even after the 2015 government reforms toward a “two-child” rather than a “one-child” policy, some women can still be forced to undergo abortions. If a woman is found to be pregnant with a child in excess of the quota assigned to her, she may be required to terminate her pregnancy. Since the 2015 shift in policy, a married couple may have up to two children. The Chinese government penalizes unmarried pregnant women through a “zero-child” policy. Even in the United States, some family members continue to pressure pregnant women into abortions. Such pressure can take the form of manipulation of a woman’s feelings, threats to withhold financial or emotional support, and even physical violence. Real Alternatives encourages women in this situation to call its hotline, 1-888-LIFE-AID, which offers judgment-free, practical, and compassionate advice, counseling, and referral services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

#forced #abortion

Pennsylvania Programs Offer Alternatives to Abortion

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through Real Alternatives provides women who are pregnant with a variety of free, caring, and confidential alternatives to abortion. The services offered by Real Alternatives and the state of Pennsylvania are available to any woman who is experiencing an unexpected pregnancy or who has an infant less than a year old. The World Health Organization has stated that reproductive health is important for women. Pennsylvania Alternatives to Abortion Services provides many resources to improve reproductive health. The program is designed to support the well-being of the mother and baby. Clients can receive free pregnancy tests, counseling, and referrals to other agencies for medical care and assistance with food, money, and baby supplies. With more than 90 centers throughout the state, trained counselors support mothers during pregnancy and afterward as they care for their children. They can help mothers find a place to live, figure out how to continue their education, and provide maternity and baby clothes, baby furniture, and baby food.

#Alternatives #Pennsylvania #abortion

Prohibiting Late-Term Abortion, “Micah’s Law” Reaches Senate Floor

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives provides a full suite of coordinated pregnancy services that include no-cost counseling and assistance with health care and temporary shelter needs. Real Alternatives supports the efforts of Americans in life-affirming positions that encourage childbirth and, in certain cases, responsible adoption.

#real alternatives #Late-Term #Abortion #Micah’s Law

Pennsylvania-Based Real Alternatives Expands to Michigan and Indiana

Real Alternatives is a respected Pennsylvania provider of human services programs designed to meet the needs of women through free parenting and pregnancy support services. Featuring an approach that affirms life, the Real Alternatives program has its roots in Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey’s work in the early 1990s to create a state budget that included pregnancy and parenting education services. In 2013 and 2014, the organization achieved two distinct milestones in expanding to Michigan and Indiana, respectively. The introduction of Real Alternatives by Governor Rick Snyder through the Michigan Department of Community Health involved a $700,000 pilot program covering the southern half of the state and used the successful Pennsylvania program as its model. The following year, Governor Mike Pence spearheaded the efforts of the Indiana State Department of Health in initiating a $1 million pilot program for the state’s northern half. Both states’ pilot programs quickly proved their worth and were expanded statewide in 2015. The renewed Michigan program was allocated an $800,000 annual budget, while the renewed Indiana program was funded through a $3.5 million annual budget.

#Real Alternatives #Pennsylvania

Clothing Pantries Address Social Needs Nationwide

Since the late 1990s, Real Alternatives has served women who are experiencing crisis pregnancies and contemplating an abortion. The nonprofit, life-affirming organization, which began in Pennsylvania and has since expanded to Michigan and Indiana, offers warm, responsive, nonjudgmental counseling services. In addition, Real Alternatives provides food, clothing, and other necessities to help women and their families thrive over the long term. While many Americans are already familiar with the concept of community food pantries, community clothing pantries also meet a vital need across the country. Pregnant women receive maternity clothes from the 150 plus centers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana funded by Real Alternatives. Babies and young children receive a supply of warm, comfortable clothing that keeps up with their growth. Whether they are called clothing pantries, clothing banks, or clothing closets, these organizations are contributing toward building community and keeping families together. By offering free gently worn or new clothing - often donated by members of the community - these organizations work to address social inequities while promoting dignity and fostering self-respect.

#Real Alternatives #Clothing Pantries

The Importance of Parental Touch in Raising Newborns

Headquartered in Pennsylvania and with social service networks extending throughout several states, Real Alternatives provides women who experience unplanned pregnancies with compassionate counseling and support. Real Alternatives emphasizes pathways that allow mothers to keep their babies and receive housing and job opportunities that set them on a positive life course. Among the services offered is help caring for the newborn baby, which is a principal area of anxiety and concern for many new mothers. No-cost parenting skills classes offer mothers the support that helps them ensure that their baby is happy, healthy, and well-nourished. With the newborn baby fragile and small, one of the keys to being a new parent involves cuddling. Numerous studies point to the importance of a mother’s touch in the early weeks and months. One study by Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio underlined parents’ skin-to-skin care as providing a sense of continuity, as gentle touch mimics what infants experience throughout their time in the womb. In cases of premature babies who require extended stays in the hospital, occupational and physical therapists are a part of ensuring a well-planned touch experience that promotes normal development.

#Real Alternatives #Parental Touch #Raising Newborns

Understanding STDs and How to Avoid them

With support beginning with a confidential call to 1-888-LIFE AID, Real Alternatives provides mothers with a full range of resources designed to support them and their babies. Real Alternatives’ services extend throughout pregnancy and the first year of the baby’s life, and include assistance with food, clothing, health, transportation, and temporary shelter. The services coordinated throughout Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Michigan extend to resolving issues associated with sexually transmitted diseases, which have reached near epidemic levels in recent years. With approximately two-thirds of STDs impacting those in their mid 20s and younger, a particular risk factor is having multiple sex partners. A number of STDs initially have no symptoms, and this is particularly the case with women. This does not mean that the disease does not exist and cannot be passed on to partners through sexual contact. An unfortunate result is that the disease is often passed on to others before the person who has it becomes aware that he or she is infected. Accurately diagnosed and treated early, the vast majority of STDs are receptive to treatment. That said, a number of types of venereal disease, such as gonorrhea, have developed resistance to readily available drugs as they have been overprescribed in the last few decades. In addition, there are conditions such as HIV/AIDs that have no known cure. This makes abstinence from sexual contact outside of long term, monogamous relationships one of the key aspects in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

#Real Alternatives #STDs

The Miracle of Life - from the Moment of Conception to Birth

Real Alternatives is a Pennsylvania-based charitable nonprofit that facilitates support services that provide women with choices beyond abortion. The Real Alternatives website offers a diverse range of resources that include the pregnancy stories of real women and the short film The Miracle of Life. The film begins by posing the questions “Is this the fetus or the baby?” and “Where does life begin?” It explains that DNA representing a unique human being arises at the moment of conception. The DNA is unique and unrepeatable, with physical traits such as hair and eye color already defined at a moment long before birth. The heart of the unborn baby begins beating less than a month after conception, at a time when a majority of women do not even realize they are pregnant. From weeks 6 through 11 the baby—now with toes, fingers, and ears—grows five times larger and gains the ability to smile or frown. Through a miraculous process, the baby moves 50 times an hour in the womb and progresses toward its existence in the outside world.

#Real Alternatives #Miracle of Life #Conception #Birth

Real Alternatives Provides Teen Mother with Needed Support

Real Alternatives is a Pennsylvania-based provider of human services programs concentrating on no-cost support for pregnancy and parenting. The support counselors at Real Alternatives recount success stories at www.realalternatives.org that put a spotlight on the impact of their life-affirming mission. One featured story centers on an 18-year-old who was estranged from her mother and living with her boyfriend. Lacking anyone to turn to when she became pregnant, the teen was pressured by her boyfriend to have an abortion. Referred by a family member who gave her the Real Alternatives toll-free number, the young mother finally found a sympathetic ear and solutions that included bringing her closer to her mother again. The end result of the counseling process was that the woman reunited with her mother and moved back home, with her stay culminating in the arrival of a “beautiful baby girl.” The toll-free number at which expecting mothers across Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan can access life-affirming support is 1-888-LIFE-AID. For those outside these states, please call 1-800-848-LOVE.

#Real Alternatives #Teen Mother #Support

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