PLANNED PARENTHOOD PA ADVOCATES APPLAUDS GOVERNOR SHAPIRO’S TERMINATION OF ‘REAL ALTERNATIVES’ – CRISIS PREGNANCY COUNSELING CONTRACT
For Immediate Release: Aug. 3, 2023 (Updated: Aug. 3, 2023, 9:55 p.m.)
(Harrisburg, Pa.) --- Planned Parenthood PA Advocates Executive Director Signe Espinoza released the following statement applauding Governor Josh Shapiro for his announcement of the termination of the Real Alternatives contract.
“For 30 years, crisis pregnancy centers preyed on the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians with deception and misinformation – but that era is ending. These facilities harmed us over and over again, and taxpayers footed the bill. They’ve taken hundreds of millions in taxpayer money to advance an anti-abortion agenda and we thank Governor Josh Shapiro for putting an end to it.
Today’s announcement is an enormous win for every Pennsylvanian; we all deserve access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care, and yes that means abortion too. CPCs have not offered that. They have lied to patients and shamed them for seeking their options. They have misled pregnant people and delayed them to the point where abortion is no longer an option. They have shared inaccurate information about contraceptive care on the occasions they discuss contraception at all. While the real alternative to abortion is prenatal care, not one of these hundreds of facilities offer it.
We deserve the freedom and the privacy to make our most intimate health care decisions with our doctors and without the predatory influence of anti-abortion counseling. In a post-Roe world, we can’t settle for state funding of CPCs. We need bold action to protect our right to care and our ability to access it. Governor Shapiro took bold action today.”
For more information on PPPA and access to abortion care in Pennsylvania, please visit our website.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brittany Crampsie, 717 712 3480
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ABOUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD PENNSYLVANIA ADVOCATES
Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates (PPPA) exists to create a Pennsylvania where sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion, is accessible, affordable, and affirming for all. We achieve this, in partnership with the 3 Planned Parenthood affiliates in Pennsylvania, through electoral and advocacy campaigns, lobbying, and organizing.