Headed by CEO and president Kevin Bagatta, Real Alternatives offers women support, education, and reproductive health care through more than 100 crisis pregnancy centers across three states. Since 2015, when then governor Mike Pence announced state funding for some of the organization's services, Real Alternatives has substantially reduced abortion rates in Indiana.
In 2014-2015, when the organization ran its pilot program in Indiana with $1 million in funding from the state's Department of Health, it provided services to 8,658 women. Of these women, 35 percent who experienced substantial pressure from family, friends, or significant others to choose abortion and who considered abortion as an option ultimately decided to keep their babies. Those who did not consider abortion but were pressured to do so chose life in 88 percent of cases.
Abortion rates have continued to drop across the state. The Indiana State Department of Health indicated that abortions decreased by 8.5 percent from 2015 to 2016, continuing eight consecutive years of declining numbers. The rate has decreased by 33 percent since 2008, and by about 66 percent since 1980.
