Pro-life leaders have praised the Conservative government for refusing to provide operational funding to International Planned Parenthood by indefinitely delaying a 2010 grant request submitted in 2009, but they have criticized the government over its decision to provide taxpayer money to the world’s largest abortion outfit as part of its 2010 G8 maternal health initiative.

Ottawa has not given a cent to IPPF since 2009 following a petition campaign led by Conservative MP Brad Trost (Saskatoon-Humboldt) and yet on Sept. 23, the office of Internationl Cooperation Minister Bev Oda confirmed to LifeSiteNews that the government would fund a grant request from IPPF.

Last year, the Harper government refused to include abortion as part of its G8 maternal health initiative, resisting pressure from Canada’s opposition parties and U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. But the anti-abortion pledge has not prevented Ottawa from funding IPPF for its other activities. Justin Broekema, Oda’s press secretary, admitted to LifeSite that on Sept. 22, “International Planned Parenthood Federation was informed that its application for funding has been approved under the Maternal, Newborns and Child Health commitment.” Oda had previously said Planned Parenthood would receive funding if their application met the government’s maternal and child health initiative.

IPPF will receive $6 million over the next three years to provide sex education and contraception in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan, and Tanzania.

Campaign Life Coalition national president Jim Hughes told The Interim he was disappointed with the government’s decision to extend funding to IPPF. He said Canadian taxpayers should not have to “fund an organization whose sole purpose is to kill human beings, especially those in Third World countries.” He was surprised that the fiscally conservative government would waste money in this manner.

Abortion is illegal or restricted in each of the five countries where IPPF will receive Canadian funding. Hughes noted that Planned Parenthood is involved in abortion advocacy and is worried that Canadian taxpayer dollars will go to promote liberalizing abortion laws in those countries. LifeSiteNews reports that IPPF Tanzania affiliate, UMATI, admits they are “at the forefront in advocating for rights such as safe abortion.” They also report that IPPF Mali affiliate, the Association Malienne pour la Protection et la Promotion de la Famille, also partners with the International Consortium for Medical Abortion. Hughes said because “money is fungible” – that a dollar given for one purpose frees money for other uses – “there is no way Canada’s funding will not be used by Planned Parenthood to advocate for changes to abortion laws in the developing world.”

Hughes said it is unfortunate the Harper government does not understand this. “The government claims that the money is going only to countries where abortion isn’t legal, and it’s not going to be used for abortion, but knowing IPPF, which pocket you put it in doesn’t matter, it just frees up other monies to go along with the baby-killing.”