By Arielle Del Turco and Mary Szoch

Planned Parenthood released its annual report last week, and among the numerous sinister statistics which the abortion giant boasts of are numbers showing the expanding reach of Planned Parenthood Global, the organization’s international program. Pro-lifers are familiar with Planned Parenthood’s dubious campaign for abortion expansion (which they profit from) in the United States, but the organization’s portfolio also targets vulnerable women across Latin America and Africa. 

Planned Parenthood Global is not to be confused with International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), which is a separate internationally-focused organization founded by Margret Sanger and Lady Rama Rau in India and is now headquartered in London. Planned Parenthood Global, as an arm of the American organization, has access to the $699,300,000 in U.S. taxpayer dollars that Planned Parenthood received in Fiscal Year 2022. Money is fungible, so whether this global initiative is specifically allotted taxpayer money or not, funds are freed up to be used abroad. 

Notably, 90% of Planned Parenthood’s global efforts focus on countries where unborn babies have strong legal protections from abortion. In FY22, it partnered with 80 organizations in nine countries and trained 28,000 people to promote their agenda of killing unborn children and boasted of 24 events that were held throughout Africa and Latin America.

Planned Parenthood Global worked not only to raise up and indoctrinate local pro-abortion activists abroad, but it also worked to change government policies in other countries. In FY 2022, it bragged about weakening 112 policies that protected the unborn in eight different countries. In one example, Planned Parenthood worked to chip away complete protections for the unborn in Mexico. The abortion giant claimed that due to its efforts, unborn babies in Quintana Roo can now be killed through abortion up to 12 weeks gestation.

This is a perfect example of ideological colonialism. It’s abusive for a powerful and well-funded organization like Planned Parenthood to enter poor, vulnerable countries with legitimate needs and coercively work to dismantle pro-life protections instead of offering practical help. 

And sadly, Planned Parenthood’s target countries are places where women actually need real health care. According to the U.N., improvements in maternal mortality have stagnated in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 70% of all maternal deaths are located in sub-Saharan Africa. The maternal mortality rate globally improved from 2000-2016; however, from 2016-2020, these trends stagnated — and in some cases — even reversed. 

Planned Parenthood Global has promised to provide care “no matter what,” but it doesn’t choose “focus countries” in an effort to provide actual health care. Pregnancy isn’t a disease, and abortion isn’t a cure.

When Planned Parenthood works to remove pro-life protections, they have a profit-driven motive to do so. They are a direct service provider, which means that they can make money from the abortions that happen when pro-life policies are reversed. When Planned Parenthood reports 112 policy victories, that is 112 places that they can rake in more money. Planned Parenthood may paint its efforts as benevolent humanitarian work, but make no mistake: this is a business — a deadly one that should not be exported abroad. 

While Planned Parenthood works to advance the culture of death globally, pro-lifers should take a similar globally-minded strategy. But while pro-lifers have many resources to offer, they also have much to learn from where a culture of life has continually been fostered. The people in these countries do not need Americans telling them how to be pro-life — they are already pro-life. Efforts to undermine protections for the unborn haven’t risen organically in these countries — they have been brought in by Americans who believe they know better.

What these countries need is actual health care, sanitary conditions, clean water, food, and help stopping ideological colonizers from invading their country. Pro-lifers can work to ensure the organizations fulfilling the real struggles developing nations face are ones willing to respect the life-affirming cultures of those countries.

To start, we must ensure that no U.S. taxpayer dollars go to fund abortions or organizations that promote abortion around the world. That starts with defunding Planned Parenthood entirely. Polling shows that 67% of Americans either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” using tax dollars to support abortion abroad. Planned Parenthood is engaged in a deadly campaign of ideological colonialism that will result in the killing of millions of unborn babies around the world. Americans should not be forced to participate in this through their taxes.

Arielle Del Turco is Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council and co-author of “Heroic Faith: Hope Amid Global Persecution.” Mary Szoch is the Director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council.