PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cons Govt extra £600m tax-payer money, includes abortions
25 September 2019 – International Development Secretary, Alok Sharma, announced to the UN that the Department for International Development (DFID) would be providing an additional £600 million of taxpayer money for “family planning”, which will include funding abortions.
This is the UK Government’s largest ever stand-alone spend of taxpayer money in this area. It is also in addition to the £1.1 billion pledged by the Conservative Government for family planning and abortion in 2017 and £315 million pledged in 2018.
This announcement has been made following a recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact report condemned the DFID for favouring abortion funding at the expense of strengthening the delivery of quality maternal care programmes.
This increase in spending also comes at the same time as the Charity Commission is investigating abortion provider Marie Stopes International (MSI) for rewarding its chief executive, Simon Cooke, a total salary package in excess of £400,000.
MSI performed almost 5 million abortions in 2018, has had its funding from the UK taxpayer increased by over 5,000% in the last 12 years up to over £48,000,000 in 2018, making the UK taxpayer the largest donor to the organisation.
Polling shows that 65% of the British population are opposed to taxpayer money being used to fund abortions overseas.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK Catherine Robinson said:
“Time and again the Department for International Development have pledged large sums of money for ‘family planning’ internationally, and time and again, this money will also be used to fund abortions.”
“There is no internationally recognised right to abortion, and the British Government, along with the UN, should not be acting as if there is. Many countries do not share the British Government’s views on abortion. They do not recognise abortion as a right to be promoted.”
“The British public does not want its taxes being used in this way. 65% have stated they are opposed to their taxes being used to fund overseas abortions.”
“In addition to the £1.1 billion DfID has pledged for family planning, including abortion, the British Government is the largest single donor to Marie Stopes International, and has increased its funding for the organisation by over 5000% since 2006.”
“This is nothing short of neo-colonialism, where the British Government is using its resources to fund abortions in foreign nations.”
“A report from the Independent Commission for Aid Impact has rightly been critical of DfID for promoting abortion at the expense of delivering quality maternal care. Apparently viewing universal access to abortion as some kind of fix-all solution to problems in the developing world, DfID have put there neo-colonialist abortion ideology over the welfare of individual women – not to mention their unborn children.”
ENDS
- For additional quotes and media interviews contact 07847 454108 or email press@righttolife.org.uk
- For further information on Right To Life UK visit www.righttolife.org.uk
- Alok Sharma full speech here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/alok-sharma-speech-to-un-general-assembly-on-universal-health-coverage
- In 2017, DfID pledged £1.1 billion for family planning and abortion
- The then Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel, confirmed that this funding would be used for the provision of “safe abortions”.
- In 2018, DfID launched WISH – Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) – which provides funding for organisations which perform abortions.
- As part of its £315 million budget, this programme has provided funding for international abortion providers Marie Stopes International, International Planned Parenthood Federation and DKT International, who provide abortion products and services.
- ComRes interviewed 2,008 GB adults online between 12th and 14th May 2017. Data were weighted by age, gender, region and socio-economic grade to be demographically representative of all GB adults.
