Contact: Kevin I. Bagatta, President & CEO, Real Alternatives, 717-541-1112

HARRISBURG, Penn., Jan. 21, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported that the number of elective abortions performed in Pennsylvania in 2009 dropped by 3%. That figure represents a 43.3% reduction from the highest amount in 1980.

"This decrease is not surprising to us," said Kevin Bagatta, President and CEO of Real Alternatives. "With tough economic times comes increased pressure to abort. In fact 16.7 percent of our clients in 2009 reported that someone was encouraging them to abort their baby." Bagatta added, "Thankfully, in 2009, our Real Alternatives statewide support program served more women seeking services for unplanned pregnancies than at any time in the program's 14 year history. A record setting 11,145 pregnant women received services."

Concerning the women who entered the program in fiscal year 2009-2010 who were being pressured by others to have an abortion, after receiving support through the program, 88% of those women no longer considered abortion.

Real Alternatives is the statewide administrator for the Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortion Services Program. In fiscal year 2008-2009, a record 20,666 women were provided comprehensive counseling, mentoring, education, and support services that are available to them throughout their nine (9) months of pregnancy and twelve (12) months after the birth of their baby. The program received funding of $6.15 million per year through the Commonwealth's Department of Public Welfare. The program's administrative cost ratio was 9.86 %.

In fiscal year 2009-2010, the program's funding dropped to $5.65 million. Correspondingly, the number of clients able to be served through the program dropped to 17,994. An 8% decrease in funding resulted in 13% less women who could be served by the program. Nevertheless, the program's administrative cost ratio was 7.99%.

Pennsylvania Program Director Thomas Lang pointed out that, "This absolutely vital program offers our fellow Pennsylvanians the real help they are seeking to avoid having to go through with the abortion they really don't want to have." He noted, "Our amazing caring and compassionate trained counselors across the State provide these women and their families with essential counseling, pregnancy education and support, parenting skills training, solutions to issues that she perceives are forcing her into an abortion, and help with coordinating other available health and human services for the woman and her child."

Since its inception, the Program has served over 180,000 women at over 857,000 visits. Lang continued, "Those figures are great and we are very proud of our dedicated and caring counselors, but 37,284 abortions in Pennsylvania in 2009 clearly tells all of us that there is so much more work to be done. I refuse to accept that abortion is the best thing we have in our world today to offer our women and their families."

View a short film about this successful program at: www.RealAlternatives.org/film. Also be sure to check out this short film on fetal development called, "The Miracle of Life" at: www.RealAlternatives.org/Movie-2/.  

For more information, call Kevin I. Bagatta, Esq. at 717-541-1112.