$3.5 million pro-life services contract for pregnant Hoosiers detailed

The rest of the money will go to administrative and other expenses under an agreement with pro-life group Real Alternatives based in Pennsylvania.

The contract was announced Oct. 12 by Gov. Mike Pence but wasn’t made public until this month. It follows a secret one-year pilot in northern Indiana.

“People expect bids to be put out fairly,” House Democratic leader Scott Pelath said. “Take the issue away from it. They don’t like the idea of somebody having an inside track and the ability to make money just because they happen to be somebody’s pal. It’s problematic just on those grounds.

“The people of Indiana are tired of these ideologically driven decisions.”

Under the contract, Real Alternatives essentially acts as a middleman – signing up 17 to 30 service providers in cities around the state to “enable pregnant women in Indiana to maintain pregnancy and achieve positive healthy pregnancy outcomes through provision of pregnancy support services and referrals to care.”

Pence has long opposed funding for Planned Parenthood, a group that provides women’s health services, including abortions.