West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice taps pregnancy centers to manage $1 million maternity support program

West Virginia has selected a network of pregnancy centers that encourage alternatives to abortion to manage a $1 million grant program aimed at assisting pregnant women and families with infants.

The state’s Department of Health and Human Resources selected the West Virginia Pregnancy Center Coalition to manage the new West Virginia Mothers and Babies Support Program created earlier this year.

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“This program will provide much-needed support to pregnant women and families with infants, and I am confident that the Pregnancy Center Coalition will do an excellent job of administering it,” Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) said in a press release announcing the selection.

Pregnancy centers are known for providing multiple services, including educational and financial assistance, as well as baby supplies and support networks, to pregnant women in need, but supporters of legal abortion have criticized the centers for presenting alternatives to the procedure.

The $1 million in grants will be distributed to pregnancy care centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and “life-affirming social service organizations,” according to the press release.

The new program was created after the state put restrictions on abortion following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The state law prohibits certain organizations from being eligible for grants, including those that “perform, prescribe, refer for, advocate for, or encourage abortion.”

“We commend Governor Jim Justice and the many state legislators who recognized the need of our state to support pregnant women and families with practical help as they seek to provide safe and loving care for West Virginia infants,” West Virginia Pregnancy Center Coalition Executive Director Jenny Entsminger said.

Since the overturn of Roe, pregnancy resource centers have been subjected to political and sometimes violent attacks from those who believe the facilities should provide abortions.

Eighty-eight groups have been targeted since the Supreme Court decision was leaked in May 2022, according to CatholicVote, an organization that tracks incidents of violence against the centers.

“The pregnancy resource centers, which provide free medical and financial support to pregnant and new mothers, have been victimized by arson and firebombing; smashed windows; graffiti with threatening messages; destruction of signage; gluing of locks to prevent staff from entering; keying of staff members’ cars; and other acts of violence and vandalism,” a CatholicVote report stated.

Pregnancy centers have also been the subject of legal fights, including one in which Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing business rating organization Yelp for allegedly deceptive trade practices in its move to “disparage facilities that counsel pregnant women instead of providing abortions.”

At the center of Paxton’s action is the company’s “disclaimer” that most personnel at pregnancy centers are not medical professionals, which Paxton said is “misleading and often untrue because pregnancy resource centers frequently do provide medical services with licensed medical professionals on-site.”

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However, 16 Democratic state attorneys general signed an open letter in October accusing pregnancy resource centers of spreading “misinformation and harm” by “[delaying] pregnant people from accessing critical reproductive healthcare — by dissuading pregnant people from seeking abortion.” They also defended Yelp.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) decided to defund a pregnancy center earlier this year in favor of abortion providers. The move ended the organization’s 30-year relationship with the state.