In response to a question about the applicability of faith-based rules and the details regarding acceptable activities, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission states that "providers and subcontractors must demonstrate their approach for complying with Charitable Choice Provisions Applicable to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family Program ... of the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families." Federal rules make a clear distinction between a religiously-sponsored group and its allowable activities.

Federal TANF and State MOE funds that are provided directly to a participating organization may not be used to support inherently religious activities, such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization.
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Thus, direct Federal TANF and State MOE funds may not be used, for example, to conduct prayer meetings, devotional studies of sacred texts, or any other activity that is inherently religious.

So who are the two groups contending for the state's $5,000,000 prize, and what types of services might we expect them to deliver to the women of Texas through what the state calls "existing community service delivery programs" - AKA crisis pregnancy centers?

The Texas Pregnancy Care Network of Bellville has proved an elusive target for journalists seeking details.  The only information made public is that it would use an antiabortion program developed by Pennsylvania-based Real Alternatives. The Real Alternatives website states that its associated service providers must "agree not to promote the teaching or philosophy of any religion or religious organization while providing contract services to the client."  That sounds encouraging, but the site also says that "Real Alternatives utilizes a network of existing community agencies" -- and as we will see, that little technicality presents a real problem.

The Heidi Group is much less reticent about who it is and what it does. Founder and CEO Carol Everett makes plain that The Heidi Group's "most important work is prayer."

When women choose life for their babies, the Gospel is also shared and, as many come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the culture of our state and nation will change. To God be the Glory!

The Heidi Group offers crisis pregnancy centers tools for sophisticated multimedia messaging -- and this is the message.

We offer the woman a balanced approach to life, understanding that the unplanned pregnancy is the immediate concern, but she needs hope offered through a relationship with Christ. We recognize women have practical, emotional and spiritual needs that can be met through life skill training such as career and parenting classes, but her real needs will be met through discipleship.

Carol Everett's "balanced approach to life" seems to have been a relatively recent development. According to her own description of her former career as the administrator of abortion-providing clinics -- as detailed in her book Blood Money and as posted on the website of Priests for Life -- Ms. Everett participated in some disturbingly shoddy and unethical practices -- including "seducing" women into having abortions they didn't want and performing abortion procedures on women who were not even pregnant -- with no motive other than profit.

[There] was a report that Channel 4, a television station in our area did. They sent their star reporter, Laura Randall, in, wired for sound. And we so convinced her that she was pregnant and that yes, she needed an abortion, and we had the answer, that when she left there the poor girl was so shaken that she went to another doctor. She was not sure she wasn't pregnant. And she wasn't pregnant. So we had a five-day report wherein Laura Randall, wired for sound, came in the abortion clinic and had our doctor saying, yes, baby, you're pregnant. Come on, let's do this abortion today. You haven't had anything to eat, you've got your money, why would you want to come back tomorrow. Come on, let's do it now.

That's bad, but there's worse -- much worse.  If even half of her appalling story is true, it's no wonder that Carol Everett recounts that ultimately she couldn't live with herself.  My own work involves the provision of abortion care, and there's no part of her account with which I can identify; it's sheerly horrifying.  Our diametrically opposed approaches to abortion care might be part of the reason that Ms. Everett claims to have made well over $100,000 a year back in the days when that was real money, while I drive a venerable Honda . . . but I digress.

In addition to her involvement with the Heidi Group, now Ms. Everett profits from talking about the evils of abortion instead.  As Ms. Everett herself writes, "you don't take this lying, cheating, stealing on our income tax woman, and just change her into an angel overnight."  But that, of course, was before she found Jesus.

When asked about its plans for carrying out the state's new mission, the Heidi Group referred questions to Shirley Thompson, president of its proposed partner, the Texas Association of Women's Resource Organization.

Thompson said whoever wins the contract will be prohibited from conducting state-funded religious proselytizing, but that the Legislature set a clear goal of promoting childbirth over abortion.

"You can't evangelize with government funding," Thompson said. "(But) the Legislature saw the same desire to actively promote childbirth. The Heidi Group is already in that area of service and fits what the state was looking for."

What published reports don't say is that Shirley Thompson is also the director of an Agape Pregnancy Help Center in San Antonio.  Agape's website currently says that they "receive absolutely no funding from state or federal agencies and are therefore unencumbered by the rules and regulations they impose."  Refusing government money has meant that Agape was free to carry out its stated mission: "The Agape Pregnancy Help Center exists to minister to women facing decisions involving pregnancy, to touch each life with the love of Christ and, in the process, save the lives of preborn children."  

Indeed, in thanking Fortress Church for its support of Agape, board chairman Ken Krawczynski - Ms. Thompson's boss -- makes clear that he, along with the church, considers Agape a missionary organization.

The number of clients that are counseled continues to grow. We are seeing a record number of clients virtually every month. And the Lord continues to bless the work of those who serve at the Centers. To this date there have been over 240 clients who have received Christ as their Lord and Savior. So God is using Agape to impact not only the lives of unborn children, but also the mothers and fathers of these unborn babies.

God continues to increase our ability to work for His Kingdom. On July 16th, took possession of a brand new sonogram machine for use in our Downtown Center. ... We will be able to show women the life growing inside of them and make real for them Psalms 139:13. "For thou didst form my inward parts; thou didst weave me in my mother's womb."  ...  Pray that, as [women] see the beauty of God's creation and their privilege to be a part of it, they would see their need for His grace, forgiveness and mercy.

Other crisis pregnancy centers across Texas are likewise supported by local and national church organizations as proselytizing missions, and the work of "Pregnancy Care Ministries" is described by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as "Community Evangelism."

Reaching those affected by abortion decisions is part of an overall evangelism strategy to train every member in the church to reach every person in the community of the church. An effective evangelism strategy will include numerous ministry-based evangelism and other training approaches.

As part of working "in cooperation with state conventions and associations to assist Southern Baptist churches in reaching and baptizing new believers," the NAMB offers material support and other incentives to CPCs for their cooperation in its mission - such as free training, free Bibles, 50 free evangelistic tracts a month, discounted pregnancy tests -- and a yearly visit from its regional coordinator to make sure that the CPCs maintain their "evangelistic emphasis."  In Texas, 22 CPCs have taken them up on their offer.

The testimony of NAMB-supported CPC director Elaine Hamm makes the mission clear.

I see hundreds of young women each year in similar circumstances. ... They come to us for a variety of reasons--free pregnancy tests and confidential counseling, diapers and baby supplies, maternity clothes, often to talk about abortion. Whatever their reason for coming, we know they are really there because God has entrusted them to us. Last year 106 of them accepted Christ as Savior. Many others recommitted their lives to His Lordship and chose abstinence as a lifestyle. All heard that God loved them and had a plan for their lives.

All across Texas, no matter the particular religious affiliation of a crisis pregnancy center, the mission is the same. In Dallas, the Prestonwood Pregnancy and Family Care Center professes itself a "faith-based organization."  

The Pregnancy Aid Center in Burleson says that the pro-life cause is secondary, as the center "exists primarily to put God on display."  

All Care Net agencies are part of a "Christian ministry assisting and promoting the evangelistic, pro-life work of pregnancy centers in North America." Clients of Care Net of Northwest Houston "earn" the baby care items they need by accumulating "credits" in classes with titles such as Godly Wisdom for Parenting, Biblical Principles for Life, God's Promises, and Walking in God's Forgiveness.  

The Fort Worth Pregnancy Center solicits "Prayer Warriors" who are "ready and willing to fall prostrate before our Creator on behalf of life."  

The Houston Foundation for Life offers pregnant women a two-hour childbirth class followed by an hour of Bible study.  

The Katy Pregnancy Help Center envisions itself as "the leading Christ-centered resource for unplanned pregnancy, post abortion counseling and sexual health education in the Greater West Houston area."

The Pregnancy Care Medical Center of Texoma in Sherman is a "ministry" that says "We exist to share the love of Jesus Christ."  Despite its deceptive name, it provides no medical services, but does offer "a group Bible study called PACE (Post Abortion Counseling and Education)" for "post abortive women" seeking "reconciliation to God."

Pregnancy Assistance Center North in Conroe - the backyard of State Senator Tommy Williams, the originator of the CPC funding initiative - offers post-abortion counseling using the Bible-based Forgiven and Set Free.

Midland's Life Center is yet another "Christian ministry" offering "restoration for healing and recovery."

Care Net in Waco promises its staff volunteers the opportunity to "be the hands and feet of Jesus."

The website of Heartbeat International, with 10 affiliated centers in Texas, features psalms and Isaiah: "He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor... They will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations."

Pregnancy Counseling Services of Abilene promises "information about the ... dangers of abortion" and "Christ-centered counsel."

Care Net Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Amarillo proclaim themselves "an outreach ministry of Jesus Christ through His church ... committed to presenting the gospel in both word and deed to women with crisis pregnancies."

At the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center client services include pregnancy tests and sonograms, along with courses in computer skills and, of course, the Bible.

These are the services to pregnant women that $5,000,000 in public funds will support and expand in Texas over the next two years. The contract remains pending, although a decision from the state is expected very soon.  

In Texas, as in most places, connections matter. The Texas Pregnancy Care Network of Bellville seems to be a largely unknown quantity -- perhaps, some have suggested, only a stalking-horse -- and Real Alternatives is based in Pennsylvania.  However, in addition to her other sterling antiabortion credentials, Carol Everett has such close friends in state government that she was given a seat on the committee that composed over five dozen pages of licensing rules governing (oh, exquisite irony) the practices of abortion providing clinics in Texas.  And Shirley Thompson has been not only a "pro-life" missionary of undisputed zeal, but a member of the State Republican Executive Committee.  So when it comes to who picks up this very full collection plate -- with 15% of the contract, or $750,000, allowed to go directly to the winning vendor -- anyone can guess how the smart money bets.