• Home »
  • Canada »
  • Planned Parenthood grant draws fire
hand and heart

The recent post office troubles have impacted our regular fundraising efforts. Please consider supporting the Register and Catholic journalism by using one of the methods below:

  • Donate online
  • Donate by e-transfer to accounting@catholicregister.org
  • Donate by telephone: 416-934-3410 ext. 406 or toll-free 1-855-441-4077 ext. 406

Planned Parenthood grant draws fire

By 
  • September 28, 2011

OTTAWA - International Planned Parenthood, which promotes and provides abortions, has received a federal grant under a G8 initiative that Prime Minister Stephen Harper said would not fund Third World abortions.

Conservative MP Brad Trost calls the $6 million CIDA grant to Planned Parenthood a “slap in the face” to all social conservatives in Parliament and the Tory caucus.

“I am very, very disappointed, very unhappy,” said Trost, the pro-life MP who campaigned last spring on getting Planned Parenthood de-funded.


News of the funding broke on CBC News Sept. 22, with a report Planned Parenthood would receive $6 million over three years to do work in countries where abortion is illegal. It will participate in health care for mothers and children and sexual education programs, according to a Planned Parenthood spokeswoman. 

A spokesman for International Co-Operation Minister Bev Oda confirmed Planned Parenthood had received the grant money under the maternal health initiative announced last year when Prime Minister Harper chaired the G8 meeting in Huntsville, Ont., and the G20 in Toronto.

Oda’s press secretary Justin Broekema, in an e-mail, said the government decided to fund the portion of Planned Parenthood’s proposal that “met the government’s Muskoka Initiative in five countries of focus: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan and Tanzania.” This includes “key elements such as the treatment and prevention of diseases, basic nutrition, and safe drinking water.”

There are some positive elements, Trost said, because Planned Parenthood used to receive $18 million in funding over three years that could directly fund abortion.

“I regard it as a bit of hair splitting,” he said. “They are officially not going to be allowed to use this money on abortion directly,” but the funding will free up other monies to go directly to abortion elsewhere.

More in this category: « Lawmakers must bear witness to Gospel, Prendergast tells Red Mass Baby Joseph, focus of end-of-life debate, dies at home in Windsor »

Please support The Catholic Register

Unlike many media companies, The Catholic Register has never charged readers for access to the news and information on our website. We want to keep our award-winning journalism as widely available as possible. But we need your help.

For more than 125 years, The Register has been a trusted source of faith-based journalism. By making even a small donation you help ensure our future as an important voice in the Catholic Church. If you support the mission of Catholic journalism, please donate today. Thank you.

DONATE