---

Governments Maintain IPPF Funding Despite Financial Crisis in 2008

By Samantha Singson

NEW YORK, NY, July 9, 2009 (C-FAM) - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the world's foremost abortion provider, recently released its latest financial report which shows that the organization continues to receive the majority of its multi-million dollar budget from government grants and pay six figure salaries to dozens of its executives despite the world financial crisis.

"IPPF Financial Statements 2008" highlights the work done by IPPF and its affiliate organizations all across the globe.  In total, the organization boasts that it has provided over 24 million "contraceptive services" and over 650,000 "abortion-related services" during the reporting period.

Though the financial crisis has increasingly put pressure on governments, funding for IPPF's activities primarily came from government donations. Of IPPF's total income of $119 million, almost 80% of that came directly from government grants. 17 countries gave money to IPPF in 2008, with the governments of Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan topping the list.

Additionally, $1 million in funding came from the United Nations Population Fund and the UN Program on HIV/AIDS. Charitable foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Hewlett Foundation also filled IPPF's coffers with $23 million. Other prominent abortion advocacy organizations such as Population Action International and Ipas also gave significant amounts.

IPPF's total expenditure for 2008 totaled $121.4 million. While much of that money was spent on IPPF's five priority action areas - adolescents, abortion, access, advocacy and HIV/AIDS - a large amount was spent on staffing costs. In 2008, IPPF employed 297 staffers full-time for a cost of $23 million. Over 3 dozen individuals were paid out six figure salaries, with the top salary grossing close to $480,000 a year.

The report shows that IPPF handed out over $60 million in grants to its member associations around the world and also lists grants to "other organizations."  The grants to these "other organizations" include hundreds of thousands of dollars to Latin American offices of "Catolicas" por el Derecho a Decidir ("Catholics" for A Free Choice), abortion-provider Marie Stopes International and Women's Link Worldwide, a group dedicated to strategic litigation against laws protecting life globally.

According to the organization, IPPF's tentacles reached 176 countries through 151 affiliate organizations to push abortion and contraception worldwide last year. In a survey of affiliate activities, IPPF boasts that 88.4% of its affiliates are involved in "advancing national policy and legislation on sexual and reproductive health and rights."  82.3% of those affiliates state that they are involved in counteracting any opposition to sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

IPPF is seeking to take advantage of the Obama Administration's decision to rescind the Mexico City Policy which banned organizations from performing or promoting abortion overseas. The report outlines the organization's plans for 2009 which include: pushing its "Declaration of Sexual Rights," a document which declares that governments are obligated to guarantee a sweeping definition of "sexual rights," including abortion, "sexual freedom" and "comprehensive sexuality education."  This year, IPPF will also focus on using the events surrounding the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development - also known as the "Cairo Conference" - to advocate for abortion at the United Nations.

(This article reprinted with permission from www.c-fam.org)

 Back to Top

---

MORE NEWS: LifeSiteNews.com Home Page  Last 10 Days   Archives   Special Reports

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.