Funding the International Planned Parenthood Federation to kill babies: your tax dollars at work through Australia’s “Overseas Development Assistance” program

Persistent questioning through successive estimates hearings of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) by prolife Labor Senator for Western Australia, Senator Joe Bullock has led to further details of Australia’s funding of the international abortion giant IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) becoming public.

On 30 May 2015 the Australian Government gave $5 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation as untied core funding. Funds may be distributed to IPPF’s member associations, with a “primary focus” in the Asia and Pacific regions. The purpose of the funding is to support the implementation of the IPPF Strategic Framework 2005-2015 and its successor Strategic Framework 2016-2022.

A key focus of the IPPF Strategic Framework 2005-2015 was to increase the direct provision of abortion by its member associations as well as advocating for change to laws that restricted access to abortion in any way.

In its 2014-15 annual performance report IPPF reports providing 977,189 abortions (544,080 surgical and 433,109 medical) in 2014 up 11.69% from 2013. The report also notes that IPPF and its members associations contributed to “19 [policy or legislative] changes [that] promoted or defended the rights of women who choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy”.

The 2016-2022 Strategic Framework also aims to continue to “scale up the provision of an essential package of high quality sexual and reproductive health services that are rights-based, client-centred, gender sensitive and youth friendly”. IPPF considers the provision of surgical and medical abortion an important part of an essential package of sexual and reproductive health services.

In addition to the $5 million given for core funding of IPPF in 2015, Australia is also providing $5 million from June 2012 to June 2016 to IPPF to run SPRINT: Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Programme in Crisis and Post-Crisis Situations. SPRINT includes the provision of manual vacuum aspiration abortions (up to 12 weeks of pregnancy) as well as an emphasis on long acting contraceptives, all of which have an abortifacient component.

A further $4.5 million has been allocated from December 2014 to December 2017 to the Regional Partnerships for Reproductive Health Program (Pacific) to fund IPPF member associations in 8 Pacific nations – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – to extend the reach of their activities. In 2013 some 4,522 abortion related services were performed by IPPF member associations in these countries. IPPF – and the Australian Government – want to increase the provision of abortion in the Pacific region. $2.5 million has already been given to this program in 2014-15 with a further $1 million to be given in 2015-16 and the final $1 million in 2016-17.

These payments – totalling $14.5 million – are the subject of existing contracts between DFAT and the IPPF.

However, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is “currently preparing to negotiate a new core funding agreement with IPPF”.

Such funding would simply help IPPF member associations (i) increase the number of abortions performed in developing countries in the Asia and Pacific regions and (ii) continue to advocate for the removal of all restrictions on access to abortion in these countries.

ACTION:

Contact your MHR (call the Australian Electoral Commission on 13 23 26 to check your electorate) and ask them to call on the Treasurer, Hon Scott Morrison and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop, to cease all funding of abortion using overseas aid.

You can write to any MHR at PO Box 6022, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 or email them at the address below.

Hon Julie Bishop, Member for Curtin Julie.Bishop.MP@aph.gov.au

Mr Ian Goodenough, Member for Moore

Ian.Gooednough.MP@aph.gov.au

Hon Gary Gray, Member for Brand

Gary.Gray.MP@aph.gov.au 

Mr Andrew Hastie, Member for Canning

Andrew.Hastie.MP@aph.gov.au

Mr Steve Irons, Member for Swan

Steve.Irons.MP@aph.gov.au

Dr Dennis Jensen, Member for Tangney

Dennis.Jensen.MP@aph.gov.au

Hon Michael Keenan, Member for Stirling

Michael.Keenan.MP@aph.gov.au

Hon Alannah MacTiernan, Member for Perth

Alannah.MacTiernan.MP@aph.gov.au

Ms Nola Marino, Member for Forrest

Nola.Marino.MP@aph.gov.au

Ms Melissa Parkes, Member for Fremantle

Melissa.Parkes.MP@aph.gov.au

Hon Christian Porter, Member for Pearce

Christian.Porter.MP@aph.gov.au

Ms Melissa Price, Member for Durack

Melissa.Price.MP@aph.gov.au

Mr Luke Simpkins, Member for Cowan

Luke.Simpkins.MP@aph.gov.au

Mr Rick Wilson, Member for O’Connor

Rick.Wilson.MP@aph.gov.au

Hon Ken Wyatt, Member for Hasluck

Ken.Wyatt.MP@aph.gov.au

Defend Human Life!: Priorities for 2016

Defend Human Life! has identified seven priorities for the work of defending human life in Australia and beyond in 2016.

1. Defund International Planned Parenthood Federation 

Our prolife colleagues in the United States are doing a fantastic job exposing the evil nature of Planned Parenthood, which in the United States has not only been the major abortion provider but has been illegally profiting from the harvesting and sale of the body parts of aborted children.

This short video clip highlights some of the callous comments captured by the Center for Medical Progress's investigative journalists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K82Oyd-lv8

The US House of Representatives voted 240-181 to defund Planned Parenthood and redirect funding to genuine providers of women's health services. While this Bill was vetoed by President Obama it shows what could be possible if a prolife President can once again be elected in the United States.

Meanwhile, Senator Joe Bullock has exposed through persistent questioning the full extent of Australia's misuse of overseas aid funds to pay for abortions of Asian and Pacific Island children. Your tax dollars have helped the International Planned Parenthood Federation get close to killing 1 million babies each year. 

In 2016 Defend Human Life! will continue to work with Senator Bullock, and with prolife MPs and Senators from all parties, to work for the complete defunding of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and other abortion providing agencies, with overseas aid funds to be redirected to provide genuine help rather than the ruthless killing of unborn children.

2. Stop late abortions for disability in Western Australia

In 2016 Defend Human Life! will continue to work with prolife MPs such as the Hon Nick Goiran MLC, to call for an end to abortions at 20 weeks or later of unborn children simply on the grounds of disability. The focus on this aspect of WA's abortion law is a step towards restoring legal protection to all unborn children. 

3. Defending free speech in favour of life

The recent Federal Court decision in Gaynor v Chief of the Defence Force (No 3) [2015] FCA 1370 (4 December 2015) points the way to possible constitutional challenges to the gag laws which prevent prolifers praying, offering life affirming help to women or speaking in favour of the right to life in the vicinity of an abortion clinic in the ACT, Victoria or Tasmania. 

Defend Human Life! will work with prolife colleagues around Australia to pursue effective actions to restore legal protection for free speech in favour of life.

4. Defeating proposals for legalised euthanasia

Senator David Leyonhjelm introduced the Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill 2015 into the Senate on 2 December 2015. This bill would amend the self-government acts of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory to remove the provisions which currently prevent these territories from passing laws to permit "the form of intentional killing of another called  euthanasia  (which includes mercy killing) or the assisting of a person to terminate his or her life".

The Commonwealth Parliament was right in 1997 to pass the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 which overturned the law permitting euthanasia in the Northern Territory. It should reject this attempt by Senator Leyonhjelm to bestow a power to make laws permitting killing on the territory assemblies.

Defend Human Life! closely follows developments in those countries and US states which have legalised euthanasia or assisted suicide and provides up to date research to MPs to enable them to see the dangers in any law permitting euthanasia or assisted suicide.

5. Stopping Nitschke's suicide cult

Philip Nitschke has handed in his registration as a medical practitioner and is no longer registered to practice as a doctor anywhere in Australia.

However, he is plowing ahead with running his international suicide cult - promoting the idea that suicide is a rational choice and that any person has the right to obtain assistance and detailed instruction in the methods of suicide. Nitschke's death cult coaches suicidally inclined people - including young people - on how to kill themselves. He needs to be stopped. Defend Human Life! works closely with prolife MPs around the nation and other anti-suicide promotion activists to shut down this deadly cult.

6. Reproductive technology and the destruction of human embryos

Defend Human Life! monitors developments in reproductive technology, cloning and embryo research internationally and seeks to oppose all forms of reproductive technology or clinical research that involve the destruction of human life in the embryonic stage.

7. Responding promptly to new threats to human life

The ever restless proponents of the culture of death will no doubt come up with new assaults on the life of vulnerable human beings in 2016. Defend Human Life! will stand ready to collaborate with other defenders of human life around Australia and internationally to meet these assaults as they arise.

Your help and support is greatly valued. The cause of defending human life requires focus, passion and perseverance. Through Defend Human Life! I will do my best to pursue this goal.

Yours in the service of life

Richard Egan

Defend Human Life!

33 Drynan St

Bayswater WA 6053

Mob 0416 148 008

Defend Human Life! is a prolife venture by Richard Egan. 

If you would like to support Defend Human Life! to continue to circulate information and action on life issues and provide members of parliament with thorough research on legislation and public policy affecting human life please donate by cheque (mail to Defend Human Life!, 33 Drynan St, Bayswater WA 6053) or EFT to Defend Human Life: BSB 086334 Acc No 715409790 (put your surname and suburb in the description).

All support greatly appreciated. Help spread the prolife message - pass this new blog site defendhumanlife.blogspot.com.au on to your friends.