The steady growth of International Planned Parenthood Federation has spawned something of an industry of criticism and exposes. Many of the studies are exhaustive, richly- detailed works, which generally relate the life and ideals of Margaret Sanger to present-day Planned Parenthood initiatives.

A useful addition to the reading list is the Human Life International booklet Deadly Deception. This instructive and concise work offers a penetrating expose of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. The book exists in six volumes, one for each of the administrative regions established by Planned Parenthood.

Volume one, dealing with the Western Hemisphere Region, shows how the organization is guided by the three main ideals espoused by founder Margaret Sanger: free sex, eugenics and birth control.

The authors do not dismiss Sanger’s early eugenics writings lightly. Although the organization later attempted to dismiss Sanger’s emphasis on eugenics, much of Planned Parenthood’s activity remains tied to the founder’s philosophy.

Public relations move

Deadly Deception takes exception to Planned Parenthood’s claims that it does not promote abortion as a form of birth control. The authors indicate that while Sanger wrote against abortion later in her career, it was simply a public relations move designed to get people to accept her base philosophies.

With the rise of Hitler in WWII, family planning supporters toned down their eugenic talk for fear of association with Nazism. They then turned attention to overcoming the over-population problem. It was around this time that PP began to use the term “family planning” as a euphemism for all the philosophies and programs advocated by Sanger and her successors.

Deadly Deception outlines how the international push for birth control began in 1920s with a number of conferences, but intensified after the Second World War. The International Committee on Planned Parenthood was formed in 1948 and IPPF was formed at a conference in Bombay in 1952. It is now headquartered in London, England.

Rudimentary family planning work arrived in Vancouver, B.C. by 1926. PPFC (Canada) was formed in 1964 and became part of IPPF. PPFC now operates 51 affiliated family planning associations in nine provinces. The American counterpart has 158 affiliates operating 938 abortion clinics throughout the U.S. Of the 938, 126 perform surgical abortions on site. PPFA carries out about 133,000 abortions per year and received $438 million in annual income.

Much of their profit comes from sale of birth control devices, including the pill. Sex education, therefore, is means of promoting more young customers for birth control services.

“In funding these family planning programs,” the authors say, “PPFC is carrying on one of the basic operating methods of PP. It tries to convince children that their parent’s values are old-fashioned, that it’s time to be modern, that it’s time to accept the free sex, birth control and eugenics philosophies of PP.”

The authors of Deadly Deception list six “deceptive tactics” undertaken by Planned Parenthood. These tactics are as follows:

-the use of contraceptives lowers the number of abortions;

-the use of Norplant, the IUD, DepoPrera etc. do not constitution;

-family planning programs save money;

-the world has an overpopulation problem;

-sex education programs reduce teen pregnancies;

-condom use allows for safe sex.

One by one, the authors of Deadly Deception show how these assumptions are seriously flawed and are in fact harmful to tradition family life in North America.

Many critics of Planned Parenthood are especially concerned with the organizations view of sex education. Instead of providing a positive understanding of sex and marriage, Planned Parenthood and its affiliates follow a different path. “To IPPF,” say the authors. “sex education should teach the mechanics of sexual intercourse. It thinks sex education should promote the use of birth control during sexual intercourse for the express purpose of trying to avoid having a baby as a result of the natural procreative act.”

Furthermore, despite all the dangers of promiscuous sex, IPPF refuses to tell children to be chaste. Chaste children provide no income to IPPF (as potential purchasers of its birth control products), while promiscuous children spend millions at its birth control distribution centers.

Mandatory sex education

“IPPF’s main goal is to have its version of sex education made mandatory for every child in your country,” say the authors. “Its affiliates are working hard to have to have the governments of development countries declare that sex education must be taught.”

Much of IPPF success depends on separating parents from control pf their children. Sex education is the primary method for PP to come between parents and children. “Clearly, IPPF is out to try to get your children to reject your values and adopt the free sex, eugenics and birth control ideas of Margaret Sanger and the whole international Planned Parenthood community.”

The authors suggest a four-part plan to resist Planned Parenthood. It includes, teaching children positive values early in life; practicing what you preach; guarding children’s education and access to TV, books etc.; and staying involved in your children’s lives. The authors conclude that education and information are key in stopping Planned Parenthood’s inroads. As well, there’s evidence pro-life groups have had an impact in slowing the abortion/ contraception mentality, and that Planned Parenthood is meeting greater opposition.