Just days before the European Parliament accepted the controversial Matic Report declaring abortion a “human right,” a pro-abortion group of Members of Parliament in Europe published a document branding Christian organizations “religious extremists” for being in opposition to what they call “human rights for sexuality and reproductive health.”
The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) released a report identifying over 50 organizations, including Heartbeat International and legal non-profit Alliance Defending Freedom, as “anti-gender actors” who are funding pro-life and pro-family work around the globe.
Titled, “Tip of the Iceberg: Religious Extremist Funders against Human Rights for Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Europe,” this report’s primary function is to identify funding sources for the “anti-gender” movement and was presumably part of the ongoing push to promote abortion in the EU.
What is “anti-gender?” Another name for this movement is “pro-family.”
The pro-family movement is identified negatively by gender activists as religious, and often Christian groups and individuals that recognize the nuclear family as the primary building block of society.
The phrase “nuclear family” refers to a family unit with a mother, a father, and children that are the biological or adopted offspring of both parents. The pro-family movement works to encourage laws and policies that promote and protect the nuclear family, protect the human rights of unborn children, and prevent teens and young people from being exposed to graphic sex education in schools and the community.
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The dark money non sequitur
This EPF report opens by identifying “dark money from the US Christian right” and references an OpenDemocracy report that states that over 280 million dollars has been spent overseas by 12 Christian organizations between 2008 and 2017.
OpenDemocracy is a progressive UK-based political website associated with pro-abortion billionaire George Soros that publishes “investigative” reports on organizations not in line with its leanings. The group has previously targeted Heartbeat International and other organizations for their pro-life and family mission.
The EPF report also examined 10 United States pro-family groups that have spent 81.3 million dollars in Europe between 2009 and 2018.
Where does all of this “dark money” come from? Further, what is it being spent on?
The term “dark money” evokes an image of wealthy individuals playing chess with international politics, back room deals, and perhaps even illicit exchanges of funds.
While this phrase makes for an attention-grabbing headline, the report goes on to state that the money largely comes from wealthy individuals and families in the United States who are passionate about family and about life.
These individuals presumably believe in the nuclear family, want to protect all life, and are invested in seeing these values exemplified worldwide. They use their money to partner with grassroots organizations in Europe to help them achieve their goals – protecting the family, promoting healthy sexuality, and protecting the unborn.
In the same section of the report, the author applauds Soros – who through various affiliated groups funds numerous activist efforts that oppose traditional values – as someone who “personifies the liberal values of civil society, freedom and democratic governance…”
This statement would indicate that United States citizens donating funds to promote transgenderism, homosexuality, and abortion is acceptable to the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights – while United States citizens promoting the family and protecting unborn life in Europe is not.
The next question then is this: what is this money being spent on?
Shutting down human rights discussion with “a targeted smear campaign”
The activities of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) are highlighted in this report.
ADF is a Christian legal non-profit focused on protecting the First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, the family, and parental rights ADF has partnered with Heartbeat International in pro-life work.
A representative for ADF said of the report that the EPF, “has sought to shut down conversations about human rights through a targeted smear campaign.”
“We defend persecuted religious minorities across the globe and support the right to life,” Adina Portaru, senior counsel, Europe, for ADF International said in a report from Catholic News Agency (CNA). “Our ‘Vanishing Girls’ campaign in southeast Asia, for example, defends girls against sex-based discrimination both before as well as after birth.”
“All our work for clients is pro bono,” Portaru said. “We receive funds from private donors who believe in our vision.”
The ACLJ likewise is a Christian legal group focused on constitutional and human rights law.
The EPF report claims that these organizations are using “sexual and reproductive rights lawfare,” with “lawfare” being defined as: “attempting to provoke a desired change through the courts or other quasi-adjudicatory mechanisms.”
Simply put, the money provided by charities and individuals in the United States is going to help grassroots European organizations defend themselves in court and promote life-affirming and pro-family legislation in their respective countries.
Yes, it’s true – we help Europeans protect life
Heartbeat International is also singled out for special attention. In section 6.1 Heartbeat International is accused of establishing “…crisis pregnancy centres’, which aim to deter women from accessing legal abortion services.”
Jor-El Godsey, the President of Heartbeat International, immediately acknowledged that providing women the assistance and support they need to choose life was part of Heartbeat’s work.
“Yes, it’s true we help Europeans protect their most precious treasure of Europe – life,” Godsey told Pregnancy Help News.
“For us, that is especially the life of the mom who needs a little help to overcome the obstacles (or people) forcing her toward abortion and the tiny human within her,” Godsey said. “Yes, we help Europeans serve these moms and babies with care and compassion, and in doing so serve the future of Europe.”
Godsey noted that aside from the basic loss of life, abortion has not been good for the citizens of Europe. Abortion and contraception are reducing the number of births in Europe that will eventually lead to a serious demographic problem.
“The ship of Europe has already collided with the iceberg of abortion activism,” he said. “The demographic trends show that Europe is sacrificing its future to abortion, among other things, and is slowly sinking into irrelevancy.
“Europeans should see this report for the propaganda that it is and its effort to direct attention away from the culture-killing effect of abortion,” Godsey added.
Organizations like Heartbeat International, in partnership with grassroots European organizations, seek to protect women from the harm of abortion by educating them about options other than abortion.
This money, coming from passionate pro-life individuals in the United States, is spent on providing women with the options and support they need to continue their pregnancies. Further, if they choose to abort their baby, these same organizations will come around them with love and support as they heal from their abortion experience.
Far from the nefarious accusations in this report, Americans (and others) are funding wholesome, healthy, life-giving resources and legislation overseas. In an effort to counter the current American government’s investment in death worldwide by abortion, they are seeking to promote and protect life.
Maligning for aligning with Christian religious ideals
The EPF report wastes no space on bipartisanship or impartiality. From the very beginning, the authors’ goal is to promote abortion, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE – which promotes abortion and gender ideology), transgenderism, and homosexuality.
The report bemoans the fact that there is not one centralized push for pro-family ideals, instead, “…that several, overlapping, decentralized and mutually reinforcing projects fuel anti-gender mobilization.”
Essentially, it laments that there is not one organization or individual pushing for the restoration of the nuclear family and protection of unborn human rights, instead this is a movement that is rising across Europe.
The report also states that the goal of these “actors” is to “… align secular legislation with Christian religious ideals.” Far from being a scathing indictment, this is a statement that many (if not all) of these organizations would willingly agree with.
The EPF report insists that the only way to advance Europe is to discard all pro-family, pro-life, and traditional ideals in favor of progressive values such as free abortion on demand and the abolishment of the nuclear family.
This report took several years and certainly many work hours to compile, raising the questions – who is behind funding it, and who has something to gain from its attacks on life and family.
The list of donors to the EPF is a who’s who of pro-abortion organizations: United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Soros’ Open Society Foundations and others.
Andrea Trudden, Director of Communications and Marketing at Heartbeat International weighed in.
“It is unfortunate that so much time and money has gone into creating a document designed to smear organizations striving to serve communities worldwide, including in Europe, based solely on anti-Christian views,” Trudden said. “The fact that pro-abortion activists and organizations funded this smear campaign is very telling.”
“Every woman deserves the opportunity to know the truth of her unborn baby and have all the information for her options so she can make an informed decision,” she said. “Not providing abortion should not paint a target on anyone – these organizations are providing life-affirming choices and support.”
Whether the report will have an impact and if so to what extent is not known. But in the meantime, the pro-life and family organizations listed will continue to do what they have been doing for decades – promoting the family and healthy sexuality and protecting the unborn and their mothers from abortion.
LifeNews Note: Sarah Bowen is the Executive Director of Promise of Life Network, a life affirming ministry including a pregnancy medical center with locations in Slippery Rock, New Castle, Butler, and Sandy Lake, PA. This originally appeared at Pregnancy Help News.
