An MP has launched a Parliamentary motion calling on the government to cut controversial funding for abortion provider Marie Stopes International.
An Early Day Motion tabled by Fiona Bruce notes that the abortion giant, which ended the lives of almost 5 million babies in the womb last year in developing countries, has had a funding increase of 5,000% in the last 12 years.
The UK government gave over £48,000,000 to MSI, in 2018, making the UK taxpayer the largest donor to the organisation.
However, polling shows there is very little public support for taxpayers’ money being spent in this manner, with 65% of the UK population opposed to the government funding abortions overseas.
The motion adds that the increase in funding comes at the same time as a Charity Commission investigation into Marie Stopes International for rewarding its chief executive, Simon Cooke, a total salary package in excess of £400,000.
The amount that Mr Cooke was paid in 2018 would put him in the top-10 highest earners in the charity sector.
The large salary and bonus come off the back of a series of scandals in the past few years where evidence has emerged of MSI performing illegal abortions in countries that protect unborn babies; investigations by the Care Quality Commission reported that MSI endangered the safety of women in the UK; and the case of one woman bled to death after having an abortion in one of MSI’s London clinics.
The motion also references a recent highly critical Independent Commission for Aid Impact report that condemned the Department for International Development for favouring abortion funding, at the expense of strengthening the delivery of quality maternal care programmes.
Last month, the Secretary of State for International Development, announced to the UN that the Department for International Development would be providing an additional £600 million of taxpayer money for “family planning”, which will include funding abortions.
This pledge is the UK Government’s largest ever stand-alone spend of taxpayer money in this area and comes on top of the £1.1 billion already pledged over a 5 year period beginning in 2017.
Spokesperson for Right to Life UK, Catherine Robinson said:
“It is appalling that ‘international development’ now consists of funding overseas abortions at an ever-increasing rate along with funding lobby teams to introduce extreme abortion laws in developing countries. This is especially concerning given the series of scandals at Marie Stopes International and that the majority of the public do not want taxpayer funding spent on ending the lives of children in the womb overseas.
“We support Fiona Bruce’s parliamentary motion to cut all international development funding provided to Marie Stopes International and encourage other MPs to add their signatures to it.”
