"American Idol" Anti-Poverty Campaign Raises 30M for Pro-Abortion Groups
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 26, 2007
Hollywood, CA (LifeNews.com) — As expected, the popular "American Idol" television show raised significant cash for anti-poverty programs. However, pro-life advocates point out that some of the groups getting the money also work to promote abortion in the third-world nations they’re supposed to be helping.
With a two-hour show filled with inspirational songs and leading television and movie stars, the program raised more than $30 million in donations.
More than 70 million Americans voted for their favorite singers (a new record eclipsing the previous 38 million mark) during the program and each vote triggered a and undisclosed donation from some of the corporate sponsors of the program.
Those included Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T and News Corp., which owns the Fox network, put $5 million in the hopper.
However, the donations went to groups including Save the Children and UNICEF — two organizations that endorse abortion.
Doug Scott, the head of Life Decisions International, said he’s disappointed that the pro-abortion groups are among the charities that benefited from the "Idol Gives Back" project.
"It is laudable that the people involved with ‘American Idol’ want to help the poor," Scott told LifeNews.com in statement. "But it is tragic that they would choose to do so through groups like UNICEF and Save the Children."
UNICEF has long denied it promotes abortion but its officials have helped write many documents that call for increased access to abortion and its legalization worldwide.
UNICEF has funded a program run by the Population Council, the group that holds the U.S. patent for RU-486. UNICEF has also supported a South African group (LoveLife) that actively promotes abortion to its mostly underage audience.
Meanwhile, Save the Children has a working relationship with what it calls "prominent international organizations."
Among these groups are several that are actively pro-abortion including the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International, and the U.S. Committee for UNICEF.
In 2001, Save the Children worked with Planned Parenthood, the Population Action Council and the pro-abortion National Audubon Society on its five-year "Planet Campaign."
The purpose of the campaign was to "raise awareness of the connections between international family planning and the health of children, women and the environment."
Scott said pro-life Americans disagree with the two organizations that abortion is a legitimate solution to the poverty and other problems that exist in Africa. He urged pro-life viewers to contact the corporations that own "American Idol."
ACTION: Make your views known by contacting the following people:
* Jasmine Borhan, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, Bertelsmann AG ([email protected])
* Gunter Thielen, Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bertelsmann AG ([email protected])
* Gerhard Zeiler, Chief Executive Officer, RTLGroup ([email protected])
* Oliver Herrgesell, Executive Vice President Communications & Marketing, RTLGroup ([email protected])
* Tony Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, FremantleMedia Ltd. ([email protected])
* Lynne-Mei Lee, Corporate Communications, FremantleMedia Ltd. ([email protected])
* American Idol ([email protected]).
Related web sites:
Life Decisions International – https://www.fightpp.org
