The Des Moines Register is reporting that the state was unable to get “sufficient applicants” in it’s effort to hire a non-profit entity to act as the administrator for a proposed statewide network of “pregnancy resource centers.” There are about 55 existing centers in the state that could be eligible to become part of the network and receive some of the $2 million in state funds earmarked for the program.
These “Pregnancy Resource Centers” are often religiously oriented and anti-abortion in outlook. Part of their “services” include encouraging pregnant women to seek alternatives to abortion — but often this goes beyond simply providing alternatives to applying active pressure and supplying women with misinformation.
The program, called MOMS (More Options for Maternal Support), is one of Governor Kim Reynolds’ signature achievements, but because of the hiring difficulties, the program has yet to get off the ground or distribute any of it’s funding. In other words, it still pretty much just exists on paper. A new RFP will be drafted in order to make another attempt at hiring an administrator of the program. In the meantime, the state Department of Health and Human Services will administer the program.
While these pregnancy centers sound pretty good on paper, for example, the DM Register quotes the legislative brief about the network as "promot[ing] improved pregnancy outcomes, including reducing abortions, by helping women practice sound health-related behaviors and improve prenatal nutrition," (sounds great, right?) and some of these centers DO offer things like cribs, clothing, formula and other physical support, but often these centers are high-pressure outfits with a religious agenda.
From the article:
National medical associations have criticized these facilities for posing as legitimate clinical settings, even though many are not licensed, saying they mislead pregnant women by giving them false information to deter them from considering an abortion.
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, it's a common tactic for centers to use emotional manipulation, including performing ultrasounds, to "shame pregnant people under the guise of informing."
Opponents have also pointed out that a similar program in Texas has faced criticism for operating with little oversight, leaving many with questions on how state funding was spent.
The new RFP will be issued next week to restart the search. Originally, it was intended that the new administrator would take over program administration in September. With the new search not even kicking off until August now, obviously that timeline very unlikely to happen.
The state did not answer the Register’s questions regarding why bidders failed to meet the original RFP’s requirements or whether previous bidders would be allowed to apply under the new RFP’s criteria.