The International Planned Parenthood Federation, the world’s largest abortion provider, is complaining that the Canadian government has not yet responded to its request for a funding renewal of $18 million over the next three years.
IPPF spokesman Paul Bell told Canwest News Service that his organization was “taken by surprise” after Michael Ignatieff pointed out the delay in IPPF’s funding in late January while he was pushing for abortion in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s new G8 maternal and child health plan.
The news of the delay in IPPF funding follows a petition launched last year by Conservative MP Brad Trost (Saskatoon-Humboldt), which asked the government to completely cut funding to the abortion giant. Trost told LifeSiteNews in November that his goal was for the funding not to be renewed when it expired in December.
Besides IPPF’s provision of and advocacy for abortion, Trost’s petition also pointed out that IPPF “does not support physicians’ freedom to practise according to their conscience and/or religious beliefs regarding abortion referral.”
IPPF’s promotion of abortion is part and parcel of its radical view of sexuality that is offensive to many Canadians. This extreme approach was highlighted in January when the IPPF released a new report entitled, “Stand and Deliver,” in which it demanded that children 10 years and older be given a “comprehensive sexuality education.”
“Young people are sexual beings,” the report stated. “With young people as partners, today’s adult decision-makers have the chance to recast sex and sexuality as a positive force for change and development, as a source of pleasure, an embodiment of human rights and an expression of self.”
The report stated that young people must be able to “obtain the services they need and want, unconstrained by psychological, attitudinal, cultural or social factors.” The IPPF maintains that governments should ensure sex education is delivered even to children who do not attend school.
Additionally, Planned Parenthood vice-president of international programs, Veena Siddharth, recently related how the organization is engaged in training Ecuadorean children as young as 11 to inject their peers with the abortifacient contraceptive drug Depo-Provera.
Bell told Canwest that the IPPF put its application in to the Canadian International Development Agency in mid-2009 and has not been told why funding is being delayed. Canada’s previous commitment of $6 million a year ended on December 30, 2009. Bell indicated the delay in funding means his organization must rely on “reserve” funds.
“At the moment, we really are in a position where we don’t know what the delay is,” Bell told Canwest. “But, of course, it does have a consequence the longer it goes on for.”
Jim Hughes, president of Campaign Life Coalition in Canada and vice-president of the International Right to Federation, laughed when LSN asked him about IPPF’s complaint over having to dip into “reserve” funds. “That’s your dollar and mine sitting there in their repository,” he said.
Hughes applauded the government for holding off on the funding and urged it to direct Canadian aid to truly beneficial initiatives. “I think it’s a very positive move in these uncertain economic times,” he said, “when you want to make sure that whatever taxpayer funding is available is directed to causes that will help women and children in Third World countries, just as Mr. Harper outlined in his plans for the G8.”
In 2008, the IPPF, which is based in London, England, had a budget of more than $121 million, with about 80 per cent coming from government grants from 17 different countries, including Canada. The largest donor nations were Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom. That was before funding from American taxpayers was restored following President Barack Obama’s overturning of the Mexico City Policy, which prohibited U.S. funds from going to overseas organizations that promote and commit abortions. Dollar figures for 2009 are not yet available.
Funding was also provided by international agencies such as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and the UN Program on HIV/AIDS, as well as charitable foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation. Such groups gave nearly $23 million to the IPPF. Abortion advocacy organizations, such as Population Action International and Ipas, provided most of the remaining monies.
According to its “Financial Statements 2008,” the IPPF provided more than 24 million “contraceptive services” and more than 650,000 “abortion-related services.” It did so mostly by funding affiliated organizations (national and regional Planned Parenthood groups) in 176 countries to the tune of $60 million. IPPF also provided funds for abortion advocacy groups such as Mary Stopes International, Women’s Link Worldwide and “Catholics for a Free Choice.”
The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, a pro-life watchdog at the United Nations, has reported that the IPPF is active in advocating for abortion at the United Nations.
A version of this story originally appeared February 11 at LifeSiteNews.com.