Only Two Groups Apply for Texas State Funding To Promote Abortion Alternatives Because of Strict Requirements
KaiserNetwork.org
State Politics & Policy
Friday, November 18, 2005 Only two Texas groups applied to receive $5 million set aside in the state Health and Human Services Commission budget to promote alternatives to abortion after the Planned Parenthood Trust of San Antonio and South Central Texas did not apply because of "tight" application requirements, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The two applicants -- the Texas Pregnancy Care Network of Bellville, in association with Real Alternatives, and The Heidi Group of Round Rock, in partnership with the Texas Association of Women's Resource Organizations -- counsel women solely about abortion alternatives, such as adoption. According to PPSA&SCT officials, organizations that provide counseling on abortion were ineligible to receive funds under the draft requirements. After filing complaints about the requirements, PPSA&SCT officials said subsequent changes were made to the draft but that they did not make a difference. HHSC spokespersons and proponents of the program said the intent of the funding is to advocate only for alternatives to abortion. HHSC spokesperson Jennifer Harris said, "We still had to ensure that the active promotion of childbirth is a fundamental aspect of the statewide program that will be developed." The commission hopes to award the entire two-year contract to one applicant before Jan. 1, 2006 (Fikac, San Antonio Express-News, 11/16).
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