State funding for Alternatives to Abortion bolsters work of pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes
Offering alternatives to abortion is more than helping a woman through the immediate decision to choose life for her child — it’s about supporting the mother and child for success in life, said Kathy Fowler, CEO of Good Shepherd Children and Family Services.
“It’s about respecting life and offering women in a crisis situation options that are dignified and supportive,” she said. “Every life is important from conception until natural death, but in valuing life, we value the experience of healthy births and proper health care and resources. So when someone makes that decision (to choose life) they are able to make that dignified walk of life, and we are part of that walk as well.”
Good Shepherd Children and Family Services, a ministry of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, is among dozens of organizations that receive support from Missouri’s Alternatives to Abortion program, which provides funding to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and other alternatives-to-abortion agencies.
These organizations help pregnant and parenting women make life-affirming decisions for their babies and themselves. The one-on-one approach provides a support network and helps them overcome challenges.
In his first state of the state address to the Missouri General Assembly on Jan. 28, Gov. Mike Kehoe called for an additional $4 million in funding for the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program.
“In our state, we value a culture of life. We treasure our families,” Kehoe said in his address. “In Missouri, there are better, safer choices than abortion, and we are committed to helping pregnant women know these exist, including the incredible pregnancy resource centers across the state.”
Established in 2007, the Alternatives to Abortion program provides services and counseling to women at or below 185% of the federal poverty level and assists women in carrying their unborn child to term, caring for their child or placing the child for adoption. Funding is allocated by the Missouri General Assembly to the Department of Social Services through general revenue and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The state also offers health insurance programs such as MoHealthNet (Missouri Medicaid) and Show-Me Healthy Babies.
Through its Pregnancy and Parenting Support program, Good Shepherd provides services for expectant moms, dads and family members impacted by a pregnancy; pregnant and parenting teens needing help in learning how to parent; and parents of infants and toddlers up to age 3 who are parenting under stressful circumstances.
The program reaches about 300 clients annually through drop-in pregnancy resource centers in University City, north St. Louis, Farmington and Hillsboro, and through home visitations with social workers. The agency has a maternity shelter, a transitional living program for women who otherwise would be homeless and adoption and foster care programs.
Our Lady’s Inn
Our Lady’s Inn was formed in 1982 to provide a safe place for women who were being pressured into abortion and offer support and the resources to move toward self-sufficiency.
As a shelter for pregnant women and their children, Our Lady’s Inn has helped women reach educational goals, find work and stable housing, improve parenting skills and seek help for substance abuse and mental health issues. There are two locations, one in south St. Louis and one in Defiance in St. Charles County.
CEO and president Peggy Forrest said she was thrilled to hear that the governor aims to expand Alternatives to Abortion funding. Our Lady’s Inn has seen its funding from the program dwindle in recent years because of an increase in participating agencies, she said. The maternity home has seen an increase in the number of clients in recent years, too.
“We’re thrilled to have more women finding us, but need to find other (funding) sources and typically it’s individual (donations),” Forrest said.
Alternatives to Abortion funding supports counseling and nursing support services, education around parenting and healthy pregnancies, as well as basic needs, such as maternity clothing.
“Once a woman is enrolled as a (Alternatives to Abortion) client, the support doesn’t end when she gives birth,” she said. “We’re walking with her afterward, as we know everything doesn’t get magically fixed when she has the baby. We have always known that we need to support them long after the birth, and this program mirrors that. We help provide for the mom, newborn and any other kiddos with whatever they need moving forward.”
Queen of Peace Center
Another Alternatives to Abortion participant, Queen of Peace Center, offers family-centered behavioral health care for women with substance abuse disorders, their children and families. The Catholic Charities ministry, which serves about 1,000 women each year in addition to their children and families, also offers a variety of treatment options, permanent and recovery-based housing for women and their families and an early intervention and prevention program for children of women in treatment.
CEO Sharon Spruell said that women seek help from Queen of Peace “because they want to have healthy birth outcomes and might not have resources to get connected. We’re able to help provide a safe, stable environment they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.”
Queen of Peace also works with women to ensure they have a safe place to live, access to OB/GYN care specializing in substance abuse disorders, help with parenting education after the baby is born and therapeutic child care services.
“It’s especially challenging for a new mom with her first baby to understand what is normal development,” Spruell said. “Women are concerned because they have been using during pregnancy and if they need additional support. It’s an important piece for us to provide support and service to help them make those life-affirming choices and to support them in those choices.”
Child care
In the state of the state address, Kehoe addressed the need to expand access to child care. Through an executive order, he charged the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education-Office of Childhood to revamp child care regulations.
The governor said he plans to designate $10 million for grant funding to support partnerships between employers, community partners, and the child-care industry to make more child care options available in Missouri. Kehoe also said the state will begin paying child care providers by enrollment numbers in fiscal year 2026.
“While the state can’t carry the entire burden of this issue, we can be a partner alongside families, employers, and child care providers,” he said.
Planned Parenthood lawsuit continues
A judge continues to hear arguments over whether to grant an injunction that would pave the way for Planned Parenthood to resume abortions in Missouri.
Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang temporarily overturned several abortion laws while keeping others in place in a Dec. 20 ruling. The mixed decision meant that abortions have not resumed in Missouri because the licensing requirement for abortion facilities was upheld.
Planned Parenthood asked the judge in a Jan. 31 hearing to reconsider her decision to uphold a law allowing the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to require abortion facilities to be licensed under ambulatory surgical center regulations and standards. The measure also requires clinics to have a plan for managing medical emergencies.
Zhang also kept in place laws that require patients to be seen by a doctor in person before prescribing pills used in medication abortions and a requirement that abortions can only be performed by medical doctors.
The judge’s decision is a temporary order, which halts the abortion ban until the issue can be permanently decided in court. Both parties are expected to file additional briefings by Feb. 7, and a temporary decision is expected after that. The bench trial where Judge Zhang is expected to make a permanent ruling has been set for January 2026.
Missouri tax credit programs
Missouri offers two tax credit programs for individuals who donate to a participating pregnancy resource center or maternity home. There are 82 recognized pregnancy resource centers and 20 maternity homes statewide. To learn more about the tax credit program for pregnancy resource centers, see stlreview.com/410VDdS; and for maternity homes, stlreview.com/412Gxo3
Respect Life Apostolate support
The state’s support for alternatives to abortion mirrors a key part of the archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate’s mission to walk with pregnant and parenting mothers, director Mary Varni said.
“We at the Respect Life Apostolate are always grateful when elected officials prioritize offering tangible assistance to pregnant women and their preborn children,” she said. “Alternatives to Abortion funds do just that, offering mothers an authentic choice for life with a variety of resources and support.”
The apostolate supports Walking with Moms St. Louis, a network that centralizes local Catholic and pro-life social service agencies throughout the archdiocese that help mothers, couples and families with unexpected pregnancies. It is part of the national Walking with Moms in Need initiative started by the U.S. bishops to provide parishes with a framework to inventory local resources, identify gaps in services and implement a parish response based on their findings.
The Respect Life Apostolate also oversees two funds to help pregnant and parenting mothers. The LifeLine Coalition, established in 1986 by Archbishop John L. May, raises awareness of pregnancy assistance services. Donations go toward a coalition of local Catholic and pro-life social services that help women facing unplanned pregnancies. Last fiscal year, the fund distributed some $30,000 in grants.
The Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Fund was established in 2009 by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson and offers a financial bridge to those who have limited financial resources while awaiting the birth of a child or the initial period following birth. About $8,000 in grants were given last fiscal year.
Upcoming pro-life activities
• A Rosary for Life is held on the first Saturday of the month at 9:30 a.m. outside Planned Parenthood in St. Louis. The next one will be held March 1. The Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate will host prayer and hospitality at Our Lady of Guadalupe convent afterward. For information, email prolife@archstl.org
• The Pro-Life Mass and Rosary (formerly the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants Mass and Rosary) will be celebrated at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 601 N 4th St. in St. Charles. The Rosary will be prayed before Mass. The Mass is celebrated at different churches around the archdiocese on third Saturdays.
• Kristina Massa of Justice for All will lead several pro-life apologetics workshops geared toward learning how to have effective pro-life conversations to change hearts and save lives. The first will take place from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury. The second, geared toward teens and young adults and held in collaboration with Students for Life, will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, at the Rigali Center. For more information email prolife@archstl.org.
• The annual archdiocesan-wide diaper drive, sponsored by the permanent deacons of the archdiocese, in conjunction with the Respect Life Apostolate, will take place at parishes in the archdiocese from March 5-April 13. Donations of adult diapers and baby wipes also will be accepted. Contact your parish for details.
• Men, women and couples wounded by abortion are invited to attend the Holy Family Hope & Healing Ministry Retreat March 21-23. Held in a confidential, prayerful setting in St. Louis, the retreat is offered through the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Abortion Healing Ministry. A trained, compassionate team, including a licensed counselor and priest, will lead participants through the critical steps of healing after abortion. Cost is $100, which covers two nights of lodging, meals and materials. To register, contact hopehealing@archstl.org or (314) 778-0628. All information and inquiries are kept confidential, and the exact retreat location is shared at registration.
