Millions of taxpayer dollars are being sent to crisis pregnancy centers across Texas annually, but once the money is sent, oversight is scarce and it is difficult to determine the centers’ effectiveness, a recent investigation published by ProPublica and CBS News found.
Texas legislators say the Alternatives to Abortion program, which operates with a $140 million budget and was rebranded to the Thriving Texas Families program in 2023, is designed to assist families affected by the statewide abortion ban. One of the program’s staunchest supporters, state Rep. Jeff Leach of Plano, told reporters the program is intended to give support and resources to the “thousands of women and their families who might find themselves with unexpected, unplanned pregnancies.”
But the investigation into the millions of taxpayer dollars distributed to anti-abortion groups and “crisis pregnancy centers” found that the money is distributed with little oversight, allowing some organizations to cash in big on Texas’ abortion ban. In some cases, organizations are charging inflated prices for common goods like diapers, and in others, they are saving the cash to put toward new facilities or building repairs.
ProPublica reports that 80% of the state funding goes to the antiabortion group Texas Pregnancy Care Network, which manages subcontracts across the state for counseling and parenting services. In Dallas, services are provided by Viola’s House, a maternity center for pregnant teens that files for and receives state reimbursements that significantly outweigh the cost of their products.
According to the investigation, Viola’s House distributes packs of diapers to new mothers that cost the organization just over a quarter, then bills the state $14 per pack. In order to access those diapers, parents are required to take a class with the organization, for which Viola’s House bills the state $30 per hour.
In 2023, Viola’s House was reimbursed over $1 million for materials and educational items, and $1.7 million for classes, the investigation found.
Viola’s House is just one of many examples ProPublica and CBS News found of wasteful spending in the program, and Leach told reporters he would support seeking accountability if he suspected inappropriate spending of taxpayer dollars. But the investigation seems to point to the difficulty of proving such a thing.
The Health and Human Services Commission, which runs the program, has never completed a full evaluation of the program’s effectiveness, the investigation states. What's more, subcontractors are not subject to independent financial audits, despite receiving millions from the state.
Still, Leach told reporters, for now, “we’re going to double down.”
