Real Alternatives
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A January 2018 Marist Poll found that 56% of Americans consider abortion to be morally wrong. According to the Marist Poll, more Americans than not (more than 20%) think that abortion does a woman more harm than good, in the long run. A 2018 Gallup poll found that 48 percent of Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong; a 2017 Pew poll found that 44 percent of Americans believe having an abortion is morally wrong.

The thoughts and beliefs reflected in these polls, as well as modern medical advances that make it difficult to deny the humanity of an unborn child, have been consistently moving in support of life. Women are seeking life-affirming options and more and more women are choosing not to abort. Fourteen states in America now fund programs to provide alternatives to abortion to women in unexpected pregnancies. Women in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan in need of pregnancy support can call Real Alternatives at 1-888-LIFE-AID.

Real Alternatives
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Almost 20 million Americans are affected by an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) annually, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the number is rising, as more people engage in a risky sexual lifestyle by having more sexual partners over the course of their lives.

STDs often do not present symptoms, making it especially important for people who are sexually active and who have multiple partners to get tested regularly. Women, in particular, are less likely to experience symptoms. If left untreated, STDs can be passed to sexual partners and develop into serious health conditions such as AIDS. Medical professionals can treat many STDs effectively if they are detected early.

Behaviors such as sharing needles and living a risky sexual lifestyle can lead to the transmission of STDs. The only 100% way to ensure that you do not contract an STD is by abstaining from sex and/or by committing to a relationship where both partners are monogamous (choose one mate for life) and do not have an STD.

If you are sexually active and not in a monogamous relationship, you can still reduce your risk of getting sexually transmitted infections. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends reducing the number of sex partners and to get tested immediately for STIs.

If you are concerned about whether you have an STD, call 1-888-LIFE-AID to speak with a counselor who can provide more information and a referral for confidential testing. To find a STD testing center near you, go to https://gettested.cdc.gov/.

Adoption
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For women who are pregnant and not ready to raise a child, adoption is a brave choice that can benefit the child and birth mother, as well as the baby’s new family. Real Alternatives can help women considering this option through its network of pregnancy support centers, where trained counselors can work with mothers to discuss their situation and connect them with licensed adoption agencies.

Birth mothers can benefit from adoption in a number of ways. Knowing that her child has been placed with a loving family can bring significant comfort to the birth mother while she pursues an education, career, or other life goals that would have been difficult while raising a child. Moreover, pregnancy support centers can provide ongoing assistance and counseling for the birth mother and family members if necessary.

When a baby is placed with the new family, the birth mother can find joy in knowing that her difficult decision has brought tremendous happiness to another family and that it was made with great love and with the baby’s best interests in mind.

STDs
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Real Alternatives puts women dealing with unexpected pregnancies in touch with helpful programs and services. In addition to unplanned pregnancy, Real Alternatives operates in areas related to sexual health and STD prevention.

Unexpected pregnancy is not the only reason to refrain from sexual intercourse at a young age, or at any time outside of a committed, trusting relationship. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are another serious consequence to consider. In recent years, STDs have reached epidemic levels in the United States, with more than 20 unique infectious diseases impacting over 20 million American men and women. Every year, the US government addresses the effects of STDs with response efforts in excess of $16 billion.

Knowledge and prevention represent an individual’s two strongest weapons against STDs, which can be contracted by any sexually active individual. Age, gender, race, economic background, and other identifying characteristics have nothing to do with contracting an STD. That said, certain populations are more at risk than others. More than 66 percent of STD cases in America are found in individuals under the age of 25, for example.

Sexually active individuals must be highly vigilant in regard to the symptoms of a possible STD. In many cases, particularly in women, the symptoms do not show immediately. In some cases, a disease may lie dormant for years at a time. Even when there are no symptoms, the disease can be transmitted.

There are a number of ways to mitigate the chances of contracting an STD, but abstaining from sexual intercourse is the only way to completely prevent the chances of infection.

Abortion
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Founded to provide pregnancy and parenting support to new and expectant mothers, Real Alternatives is committed to educating women about their options. Real Alternatives helps women to understand what is involved in an abortion, so that they can make informed choices. Medical abortions, also known as chemical abortions, involve the use of a hormone-blocking chemical known as mifepristone. Mifepristone is colloquially known as the abortion pill, as well as RU-486 this chemical is used to end an early pregnancy by inducing an abortion. In some cases, the woman will need to take a second drug, misoprostol to complete the abortion. Misoprostol causes the womb to contract; the contractions expel the baby from the womb. Medical abortions are typically only available to women who are nine or fewer weeks into pregnancy.

After the ninth week of pregnancy, women seeking abortions who are still in their first trimester are more likely to undergo vacuum aspiration, a surgical procedure in which a physician will numb the cervix and insert a catheter into the woman’s cervix. The catheter is connected to a machine that acts like a vacuum cleaner. The fetus is sucked out of the womb through the catheter.

Usually during a second trimester (the fourth, fifth, and sixth months of pregnancy), to perform an abortion, the doctor opens (dilates) the cervix and empties (evacuates) the uterus. This method is known as dilation and evacuation (D & E).
When this abortion method is used in the second trimester, the doctor may insert a sponge-like material into the cervix. As the sponge gets wet it becomes larger, opening the mouth of the cervix. The doctor will remove the sponge two to sixteen hours later. The doctor uses forceps to remove the fetus or fetal parts; the doctor may also suction the fetus or fetal parts by vacuum aspiration using a larger catheter than described for the first trimester. The afterbirth is most commonly removed by vacuum aspiration.
Finally, late-term abortions are abortions performed between 24 and 38 weeks gestation.
An abortion at this stage of your pregnancy may only be done if your physician reasonably believes that it is necessary to prevent either your death or a substantial and irreversible impairment of one of your major bodily functions.

When a pregnancy is ended at this stage, one of two procedures is performed: labor induction or cesarean section.
Labor and delivery of the fetus during the third trimester are similar to childbirth. The duration of labor depends on the size of the baby and the “readiness” of the womb.
If labor cannot be started by injecting medicine into the pregnant woman, or if the pregnant woman is too sick to undergo labor, a cesarean section may be done.
Another type of late term abortion that is also performed is known as partial birth abortion. Partial birth abortion is legal in only 18 states.

Real Alternatives
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A nonprofit organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives engages with women facing unplanned and crisis pregnancies in providing compassionate and practical support. Affirming life, Real Alternatives operates as part of the state-funded Alternatives to Abortion initiative and teams up with dozens of qualified support service providers statewide.

As reported in the National Right to Life News, Real Alternatives has consistently selected Catholic Social Services as the recipient of its Pennsylvania Service Provider of the Year award. In 2015 alone, the Philadelphia organization met the needs of some 5,500 pregnant women, with core services including parenting and prenatal support that included baby showers held monthly at many of its greater Philadelphia locations.

Real Alternatives’ vice president of operations described the award as reflecting Catholic Social Services’ longstanding commitment to going “above and beyond” what is required in reaching out to young women in the urban communities it serves. Coordinated efforts by the group have significantly decreased the number of abortions regionwide and bolstered life-affirming personal decisions.

Pregnancy
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Providing free, life-affirming support to women facing unexpected pregnancies, Real Alternatives offers confidential support in everything from temporary shelter to maternal health care. Real Alternatives also offers compassionate counseling that enables expectant mothers to overcome hurdles in informing their partners and family members, such as parents, of a new addition to the family.

Before women speak to their parents, it is important to confirm that a pregnancy has actually occurred. Real Alternatives offers a combination of health care provider references and free self-test kits for this purpose. Once a pregnancy is confirmed, mothers are advised to relax and collect their thoughts by visiting a favorite spot or taking a walk.

They may also want to speak with a trusted relative, counselor, or friend. If possible, they can use a journal to collect their thoughts, including ideas and options for their child’s future. This will not only bring a sense of order to a chaotic process, but also prepare them to bring up the subject with their parents.

Breaking the news is often accompanied by a sense of anger and hurt among parents, who may fear the ways in which their daughters’ lives will change. Mitigating this reaction should begin with a mature response from the mother that emphasizes that she is taking responsibility and actively working to ensure a healthy, happy future for her new baby.

Real Alternatives
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Based in Pennsylvania, the nonprofit organization Real Alternatives serves as a contracted government partner in providing life-affirming free counseling services to pregnant women who are contemplating an abortion. Real Alternatives’ staff offers empathetic, nonjudgmental, emotional support designed to empower women to make positive choices for themselves and their families.

The organization’s mission also includes facilitating access to a wide range of helpful information on parenting, child development, and life skills. By calling 1-888-Life-Aid, women worried about how they will feed, shelter, clothe, and care for their unborn children can obtain free assistance with these needs, as well as access to classes that will help them develop parenting skills.

Expectant and new mothers may feel intense concern about their ability to effectively parent a child, particularly when they themselves may have grown up in chaotic, neglectful, or abusive homes. A solid parenting skills class is set up to address these issues and offer guidance on everything ranging from how to build strong emotional bonds between parents and their children to how to deal with medical emergencies.

For generations, experts on family dynamics have pointed out that no one is born knowing how to be a good parent. Learning to be an effective and caring parent comes from many sources that include one’s own family history, personal life experiences, books and other educational materials, observation of role models, and trial and error.

With counseling, support, and education, women can learn how to confront their fears associated with parenting a child and learn to nurture happy, healthy families.

Surgical Abortions
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With a focus on providing women with comprehensive support when unplanned pregnancy occurs, Real Alternatives’ network of service providers affirms a woman’s decision to keep her baby. Abortion rates have dropped in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana due in part to Real Alternatives’ programs. The Real Alternatives website at www.realalternatives.org offers a full range of educational resources, including details on the risks and possible complications associated with abortion at the various stages of pregnancy.

Surgical abortions undertaken during the first trimester center on a vacuum aspiration technique that begins with the mother lying on her back and bending the knees. The physician examines the uterus opening using a speculum, placing one hand in the vagina and one on the abdomen. A drug injection or spray is then used as a way of blocking any pain that may be experienced.

A long soft tube called a catheter is then inserted into the cervix, with the baby removed using suction similar to that of a vacuum cleaner. In cases where six weeks or more have passed since menstruation, the cervix is gently dilated so that a curette (a larger, more rigid tube) can be inserted and the fetus evacuated. Undertaking this procedure requires that the mother be fully informed on what will occur and provide signed intent that she wants to end the life of her unborn baby.v

Seal of Excellence
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Real Alternatives is a nonprofit organization that provides parenting and pregnancy support services in the states of Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan, with a combined budget of nearly $12 million. In Pennsylvania alone, Real Alternatives’ services are funded by the state at $7.26 million per year. Real Alternatives high performance and accountability has been recognized multiple times. The nonprofit submitted to evaluation of its operations and obtained the Seal of Excellence accreditation three times in a row from the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO).

To qualify for the Seal of Excellence, nonprofits must successfully meet 56 criteria of the PANO Standards for Excellence program, which is based on fundamental values such as integrity, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and accountability.

In judging Real Alternatives, PANO conducted an in-depth examination of the management, financial practices, fundraising efforts, and programs and services of Real Alternatives. Among the first four nonprofits to earn the Seal of Excellence in 2002, Real Alternatives became one of the first to earn re-accreditation three times.

Toll-Free Referral Program
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A nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives provides pregnant women with life-affirming support in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. A particular focus of the Real Alternatives staff is to help those women who are considering an abortion or are being pressured to have an abortion to gain awareness of options that will allow them to bring their child to term.

Among the core offerings of the program is the 1-888-LIFE-AID toll-free number, which serves the urgent needs of thousands of women annually who are living through an unplanned pregnancy. The toll-free referral program begins with general crisis intervention counseling, after which the woman is connected to a counselor operating in the local area in which she lives.

The Real Alternatives network spans nearly 130 social service agencies, pregnancy support centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies, meaning that those seeking assistance are typically able to access a physical location within a one-hour drive from where they live. This translates into measurable results, as pregnant women receive support that addresses their specific situation in their local community.