Metropolitan Toronto Separate (Catholic) School Board trustees are surprised the board would consider a recommendation from three senior staff that the UNICEF organization be allowed to continue its fund-raising efforts in Toronto-area Catholic schools.

UNICEF, a once great world-wide organization that helped children in need, lost its way in 1974 and, along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has become a promoter of abortion, contraception and other anti-life measures.

The Vatican recently voted to end its symbolic contribution to UNICEF over these very issues. Despite repeated denials by UNICEF officials, the Vatican found that some donations were going in support of abortion/contraception programs.

Were these senior staff members not aware of UNICEF’s mandate, revealed in a November 15, 1996 press release which described a six-month pilot project under the euphemism of “reproductive health services”? The project offered a million starving refugees in flight along the border between Rwanda and Zaire a package of services that included contraceptives and drugs to terminate pregnancies. One Vatican official described it as: “Instead of (UNICEF) giving aid for life – they are giving instruments of death.”

The senior staff’s 15-page presentation itself mentioned UNICEF duplicity and stonewalling over Vatican queries about the organization’s motives and goals. However it wasn’t enough to stop them from recommending UNICEF be allowed to have Catholic school children continue to fund raise.

However UNICEF’s aims were seen clearly by 13 school trustees who voted to kick UNICEF and its Halloween fund-raising project out of Catholic schools. They were: Chairman Ed McMahon – Trustees Michael Del Grande, Rose Andrachuk, Donald Clune, Michael Doyle (who led the charge), Paul Fernandes, Doreen Hare, David Hogg, Pina Losiggio, Joe Martino, Owen O’Reilly, Luis Silva and Anna Stella.

Supporting the UNICEF project were Michael Flanagan, Tony Letra and Barbara Poplawski.

Away were Mary Ann Robillard (who started it all with an inquiry) Tony Marzilli and Gidget Rizzo (both of those would have likely looked unfavorably on giving money to pro-abortion UNICEF).

Three other trustees – representing the French faction on the board – were not allowed to vote: Trustees: Charles Arsenault – Andre Duclos and Jean-Guy Saint-Yves.

During his presentation against funding pro-abortion/anti-children UNICEF, Trustee Michael Doyle launched a devastating attack against UNICEF revealing that it has been flying under false colors since 1974.

Some of the material he used, came from Interim columnist Winifride Prestwich’s detailed exposure booklet: UNICEF Guilty as Charged.

Trustees were reminded that former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis, who moved the first pro-abortion resolution in the legislature over 20 years ago, is the present Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF.

Also mentioned was Carol Bellemy, former New York State Senator, the present executive director of UNICEF, who while in office, voted against a bill calling for equal treatment for an aborted child who survived an abortion.

Michael Doyle suddenly realized that this was an issue that had already been voted on by the board within the past year. Doyle brought this to the attention of the board. Joanne Stewart, the newly hired Director of Education, sprang up and pulled the rug out from under the feet of the three senior staff when she said that this motion for that very reason should never have been brought before the board. The chair agreed and Doyle called for a recorded vote.

UNICEF’s attempt in Ontario to have funds from Catholic sources devoted to “water or sanitary uses,” was seen for what it was – an attempt to free money from one pocket to be put into another pocket to do away with unborn children.