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TORONTO, Ontario, July 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After LifeSiteNews revealed Tuesday that famed child rights activist Craig Kielburger and his organization Free the Children have promoted abortion for the Third World, the aid organization says the article created an “inaccurate perception” of their work.

At the same time, LifeSiteNews has learned that Michelle Douglas, the chair of the board of Free the Children, which is promoted by many Catholic schools in Canada, was a pioneer in Canada’s homosexual “rights” movement.

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Douglas launched the court case that led to Canada’s military dropping its ban on homosexuals in 1992.  Later, she founded the Foundation for Equal Families to lobby for same-sex “marriage”, and served as chair for the 519 Church Street Community Centre, a hub for “LGBT” activities in Toronto’s homosexual community.

On July 5th, LifeSiteNews revealed that Free the Children had taken a direct stand in favor of abortion during the lead-up to the 2010 G8 and G20 meetings, and that it is promoting “family planning” through health clinics in places like Kenya and India.

LifeSiteNews also revealed that founder Craig Kielburger has openly advocated “reproductive rights” and support for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, which is the world’s largest abortion provider.

In a fact sheet for youth on “maternal health”, Free the Children denounced Canada’s Conservative government for refusing to fund abortions in its G8 maternal health initiative.  Another fact sheet on “child health” says putting in place such a condition against abortion funding “shows disregard for recipient countries’ concerns.”

But the organization promptly pulled the documents from their website after LifeSiteNews asked them how abortion plays into their work overseas.  They sent a statement alleging that Free the Children “does not have an official policy on the issue of abortion, or advocate on the issue.”

Find the pulled “Maternal Health” fact sheet here and the one on “Child Health” here.

The organization then left a comment on the July 5th article, now published separately by LifeSiteNews, maintaining that the article left an “inaccurate perception of their work.

“To be clear, Free The Children, the organization and its Board of Directors, has chosen to not become involved in the debate regarding abortion,” the organization wrote.

They allege that by omitting a part from their original statement briefly spelling out their development model, the article used “abridged texts and selected edits in order to create an inaccurate perception for readers.”

“All of the medical facilities funded by Free The Children provides only basic health care, and not invasive procedures,” they wrote.

Free the Children’s full response is available here.

A graduate of Ontario’s Catholic schools, Kielburger has been a featured speaker at Catholic conferences and schools over many years and has been lauded as a role model for youth by Catholic schools and media since he founded Free the Children in 1995 as a 12-year-old.

Free the Children, further, has clubs set up in Catholic schools across Ontario, which contribute thousands of dollars annually.

Since 2007, Free the Children has been offering leading pro-abortion politicians as role models to youth through its annual We Days.  The massive youth conferences, run in major cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, kicks off their year-long social action programme in the schools.  The 2010 Toronto event alone gathered 18,000 young people from around 1,000 schools.

These events have included talks or appearances by politicians like former Vice President Al Gore, former Prime Ministers Paul Martin and John Turner, Member of Parliament Justin Trudeau, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.

In 2007 they also gave a platform to Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury, who has become a major homosexual activist in the last decade.