It is a mammoth and daunting task to attempt to be comprehensive in terms of analyzing who are the major funders of anti-life and anti-family causes in the world today. However, a cursory examination of news reports over the last several years reveals some recurring suspects, especially in the realm of foundations, whose billions of dollars in assets seem to serve as financial bulwarks for the international abortion movement.

Chief among foundations is the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which was created in 1964 by David Packard (1912-1996), co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard computer company, and his wife Lucile Salter Packard (1914-1987). Apart from explicitly stating that it does not accept proposals “that serve religious purposes,” the foundation’s population program has as one of its missions the expansion of “reproductive health options among the world’s poor.”

It also: makes grants to organizations working to expand “family planning options” and “reproductive health services” to women and men; supports programs that provide information and services to prevent childbearing and to promote so-called safe sex to young people; supports efforts to mobilize interest, commitment, and resources to address population growth in developing countries; supports programs to preserve and enhance “reproductive rights,” both in the United States and internationally; and supports the development of the next generation of “population and reproductive health experts.”

Although the current connections between Hewlett-Packard and the foundation may be tenuous, these are things you may wish to keep in mind if you’re considering purchasing a Packard computer, printer or other accessory.

The Microsoft empire is another computer-oriented entity that comes across as a point of concern. In 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, named after Microsoft’s head and his wife, dispersed $212 million, or 15 per cent of its total grants, to “reproductive and child health” causes.

“‘Reproductive health care’ is the primary health need of women, yet limited resources in developing countries, combined with women’s economic and social position, often deprive women of access to the care they need and want,” says the foundation. “Increasing access to voluntary family planning services … are examples of the kinds of work supported by the foundation.”

Grants in the year 2000 alone included:

  • $8.8 million for five years to strengthen “the quality of reproductive healthcare” through the notorious International Planned Parenthood Federation in London, England.
  • $7.3 million for five years to PATH in Seattle, Wash. to support “family planning programs” in, of all places, China.
  • $1 million to Population Action International in Washington, D.C. to develop a comprehensive global strategy for ensuring “reproductive health commodity security.”
  • $243,000 to the United States Committee for the UNFPA, Inc. in New York to support “contraceptive logistics and management information systems” in Myanmar (Burma).
  • $1 million for three years to Vaestoliitto ry, the Family Federation of Finland in Helsinki, Finland to support “international reproductive health services.”
  • $1 million to the World Population Foundation in Hilversum, the Netherlands, to support “reproductive health and family planning services” in Asia.

That adds up to a lot of dollars. Although it may at times be difficult to avoid purchasing Microsoft products in light of the corporation’s monopolies in areas such as the Windows operating system, there is still much a conscientious person can do in terms of, for example, avoiding the purchase of Microsoft software or other peripherals.

Another large foundational offender is the Ford Foundation, which was launched in 1936 through funds derived from an investment portfolio based on gifts and bequests of Ford Motor Company stock by Henry and Edsel Ford. The foundation has since provided slightly more than $10 billion in grants and loans.

The foundation no longer owns Ford Motor Company stock. The trustees of the foundation now set policy and delegate authority to the president and senior staff for its grant making and operations. Program officers in the United States, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Russia explore opportunities to pursue the foundation’s goals, formulate strategies and recommend proposals for funding.

According to a mission statement, the foundation’s Sexuality and Reproductive Health Program focuses on social, cultural and economic factors that affect sexuality and “reproductive health.” Emphasis is given to non-governmental organizations, researchers and government agencies acting on the “understanding” of sexuality and “reproductive health issues” reached at major United Nations conferences in the last decade. “A primary concern is empowering women to participate in improving reproductive health and related policies,” says the foundation.

Some of the Ford Foundation’s grants so far this year include:

  • $100,000 to a group called Catholics for the Right to Decide – Brazil for the public education and dissemination of “Catholic pro-abortion values.”
  • $250,000 to Family Care International, Inc. for general support for “sexual and reproductive health and rights work” in developing countries.
  • $224,000 to the Zanzibar Nurses Association to strengthen the capacity of rural nurses to identify and manage “sexual and reproductive health problems.”
  • $100,000 to the Chinese State Family Planning Commission.
  • $155,000 to Pathfinder International for leadership development activities in the “reproductive health service delivery sector” in Nigeria
  • $660,000 in general support for the journal Reproductive Health Matters and other international publication projects focused on “a women-centred perspective of reproductive health and policy issues.”

Another offender on the world stage is George Soros, the president and chairman of Soros Fund Management LLC, a private investment management firm that serves as principal advisor to the Quantum Group of Funds, a series of international investment vehicles. One international analyst noted that Soros is one of the world’s richest men (with an estimated worth of $10 billion) and probably the biggest international investor of all time. He is said to have lost $600 million in just one day speculating on which way the yen would jump and never flinched.

On the dark side, Soros has, through his Open Society Institute, initiated the Program on Reproductive Health and Rights. Its mission is “to promote the development of policies and practices to protect women’s comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion, both in the United States and in the countries and regions where the Open Society Institute operates.”

With $10 billion to throw around, that has meant large monies for all the worst groups, including “Catholics” for a Free Choice, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, the National Abortion Federation, the Feminist Majority Foundation, Medical Students for Choice and more.

Soros has also extended his grubby tentacles into Canada, through a grant to Action Canada for Population and Development to send young, Canadian pro-abortion advocates to the U.N. General Assembly Special Session for Beijing + 5.

Another key foundational player is the MacArthur Foundation, which was created in 1978 by John D. MacArthur (1897-1978), who developed and owned Bankers Life and Casualty Company and other businesses, as well as considerable property in Florida and New York. As one of the U.S.’s 10 largest foundations, MacArthur today has assets of $4.2 billion and makes grants totaling approximately $180 million annually.

It lists “responsible choices about human reproduction” as one of its missions. To that end, its disbursements have included $180,000 to Action Canada for Population and Development for work to “raise awareness about the sexual health needs and reproductive rights of young people.” Other beneficiaries of its munificence have included the Reproductive Health Alliance Europe to “establish an international network on medical abortion,” and the United Nations Population Fund.

One mustn’t forget Warren Buffet and his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Buffet and his wife spent nearly $10 million dollars in one year alone on “family planning” causes and other population-control efforts. That’s in addition to $2 million spent to fund research on the RU-486 abortion pill. Although his foundation is currently small, it is heir to an estimated $20 billion once Buffet dies.

The Rockefeller Foundation, meanwhile, continues to expand its worldwide efforts through the Population Council, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations to promote and encourage abortions, birth control and contraceptives. The Ford and Rockefeller foundations used to work through the U.S. State Department’s Agency for International Development. Today, they work through the United Nations Fund for Population Activities.

A fascinating report produced by the Life Research Institute on foundational giving to “promiscuity education,” contraception and abortion can be found at the websitewww.geocities.com/kekogut/miscellaneous/Freport.pdf. The report reveals that in 1999, a total of 242 foundations gave a total of $268 million to abortion-contraception-promiscuity causes – and interestingly, most of the money ($172 million to $96 million) went to non-U.S. based entities.