The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services will distribute more than $680,000 to four crisis pregnancy centers under its More Options for Maternal Support, or MOMS, program in the next two years.
Iowa HHS has signed contracts with Informed Choice of Iowa, Lutheran Services in Iowa, Bethany Christian Services of northwest Iowa and Alternatives Pregnancy Center, according to records obtained by IPR. The contracts began on May 1 and go through April 30, 2026.
Under the contracts, Informed Choice of Iowa will receive $204,628, Lutheran Services in Iowa will receive $192,604, Bethany Christian Services of Northwest Iowa will receive $181,687 and Alternatives Pregnancy Center will receive $103,013 in MOMS program funding.
Iowa lawmakers passed the controversial MOMS program in 2022 that provides state funding for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. Last year, lawmakers increased funding from the initial allocation of $500,000 to $2 million.
However, Iowa HHS failed to distribute any money for the MOMS program for the first two years because it could not find an organization to administer the program as required by law.
Last session, lawmakers passed a bill that allows HHS to run the program directly.
The MOMS program contracts with crisis pregnancy centers to provide support services to pregnant people like ultrasounds and counseling that encourages them to choose childbirth. Under the contract, centers with MOMS funding can only recommend terminating a pregnancy if it's "medically necessary to prevent the pregnant woman's death."
Crisis pregnancy centers, which are often run by religious organizations and are not licensed medical centers, have been criticized by Democrats, abortion rights supporters and leading medical organizations, who say that the pregnancy centers' religious ideologies can negatively influence the guidance they give pregnant clients.
Under the HHS contract, MOMS organizations are not allowed to require clients to participate in religious activity and must have all medical services supervised by a physician.
