Abortion: A Worldwide Conflict
As I write these words, the fight for the defense of human life is being waged on numerous fronts. It proceeds in parliaments in the U.S. and in Europe (such as in France, Malta, and Gibraltar), and in various courts: in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the conscience clause and the ban of eugenics abortion in Poland, in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights against the ban of abortion and neonatal infanticide in El Salvador, in the Supreme Court of the United States as it reconsiders Roe v. Wade, and against the ban of abortion in Bangladesh, etc. Each time and in every quarter, the same abortion lobbies are involved; and each time the ACLJ and ECLJ, along with some other Christian pro-life groups, seek to resist and to protect human lives.
Beyond the arguments, the outcome of these battles depends largely on the forces present within these bodies: hence the importance of the nominations within the jurisdictions and the United Special Procedures (U.N. experts), which we recently reported on here. Indeed, since the origin of Planned Parenthood, the promotion of abortion has always been carried out by a small group of activists, usually through the courts rather than the ballot box.
The movement has been supported by a group of foundations and billionaires such as, chronologically, the Rockefeller, Ford, Open Society, and Gates foundations, in connection with international bodies, including in particular the World Bank and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). These foundations and institutions finance and collaborate closely with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), which is Planned Parenthood’s international wing, and other global abortion groups such as Mary Stopes International. These large institutions can then decide when to open “a new front,” first, in Ireland, then in Poland and Malta, or in Latin America. Their virtually unlimited budget runs in the billions of dollars. The Gates Foundation alone has contributed more than $25 million since 2010 to the European branch of IPPF and nearly $3 million in 2018 alone to the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF), the IPPF's lobby to the European Parliament. The EPF is also funded by 22 other organizations, including George Soros' Open Society Foundation, MacArthur, Nike, Hewlett-Packard foundations, and others.
The objective of the abortion industry lobby is to normalize the use of abortion by presenting it as an essential component of human rights, and therefore requiring the "removal of all obstacles to access to abortion." Of particular concern to abortion advocates are the conscience clause of the medical professions and even the existence of legal time limits. To recognize abortion as a human right also empowers its advocates to denounce their pro-life opponents as enemies of human rights, and to justify attacking their freedom of expression.
Increasingly Vitriolic Attacks
As the conflict has worsened, attacks on abortion opponents have become increasingly stronger and more frequent. Both sides, in fact, are strengthening. The "pro-life" movement is gaining force in several countries and has even won victories in the U.S. and in Western Europe, while the "pro-death" camp is strengthening its positions in international forums, especially at the U.N., and in poor countries. The fight is truly global.
The abortion industry is using great means to combat pro-lifers. In 2019, the IPPF formally decided to target people and organizations resisting abortion. It entrusted the task to the EPF and the European office of the IPPF. The radical Left British organization openDemocracy joined in the fight simultaneously through an initiative called "Tracking the Backlash," funded in part in 2019 by $407,000 from the Open Society of George Soros. Together, these groups set out to “investigate” pro-life and pro-family networks and to publish alarmist reports and articles, denouncing a sprawling alleged Christian-conservative conspiracy. These conspiratorial narratives are intended to frighten, creating concern about an adversary so formidable that great means must be expended to combat it. They present the ACLJ and the ECLJ as major and global threats to abortion. Their statements are obviously outrageous, as was its call to "abolish the family." The organization openDemocracy is funded by dozens of foundations, including the Open Society, Tides, Rockefeller, Ford, and Oak foundations. IPAS, an abortion advocacy organization, has also funded openDemocracy. In addition, several U.N. experts are collaborating with it.
Just a few months ago, the leaders of IPPF, EFP, and openDemocracy of the European Parliament and the leaders asked that an official investigation be initiated and measures be adopted against pro-life and conservative networks in Europe. At the U.N., a similar initiative is currently underway.
The abortion lobby doesn’t try to defend itself with arguments, but simply wants to attack and “cancel” its opponents in order to forbid the defense of human life.