JOHN SMEATON, DIRECTOR OF SPUC: Comic Relief misleads the Catholic Church about abortion support

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Comic Relief misleads the Catholic Church about abortion support

I have today been forwarded the following letter from Comic Relief to the Catholic Education Service (CES) which reads in full:

[To:]
Gregory Pope
Deputy Director
Catholic Education Service
39 Eccleston Square
London SW1V 1BX

4th February 2013

Dear Mr Pope,

We know that misinformed publicity about Comic Relief has caused considerable confusion and distress in the past, particularly among Catholic schools wanting to support Red Nose Day and Sport Relief. So in 2000, we opened up a dialogue with the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales to help communicate the facts.

At that time, they issued a statement confirming that, after careful examination of our records, they were satisfied with Comic Relief’s assurance that we do not fund and have never funded abortion services or the promotion of abortions. The Bishops’ Conference and the Department of International Affairs confirmed that they were confident that Catholics may continue to support Comic Relief’s fundraising initiatives in good faith. Our commitment remains the same.

Our international funding goes to all kinds of projects – providing education, rehabilitating child soldiers, peace-building, fair trade, supporting street children and a range of other work helping people in the world's poorest countries to turn their lives around.

This includes over £13.6m of grants to more than 50 projects managed by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) for work across Africa, Asia and South America.

Yours sincerely,

Aleks Leimanis
Schools & Youth Manager
Comic Relief

Comic Relief’s "assurance that [it] do[es] not fund and have never funded abortion services or the promotion of abortions" is highly misleading. Comic Relief has for many years funded organisations which perform and/or promote abortion - see our charities bulletin entry dated 6 February this year and older information in our 2006 charities bulletin. Comic Relief has funded, among others:

the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), the world's largest provider and promoter of abortion
African Initiatives (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), for a project "on women's rights specifically in the areas of sexual and reproductive health". Such language is commonly used, either as technical language or euphemistically, to denote abortion on demand
Womankind (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), a radical pro-abortion group which attacks the Catholic Church for upholding the sanctity of human life - see my blog "The Tablet helps radical pro-abortion group raise money"
Brook (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), one of the UK's leading pro-abortion organisations
Marie Stopes International (MSI), another of the world's largest abortion providers
Population Concern, which promotes abortion out of 'concern that the world is over-populated
Reproductive Health Alliance Europe
Save the Children (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), which supports abortion and promotes contraception
Oxfam (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), which has a long history of support for abortion
The African Women's Development fund (AWDF) (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), for a project supporting "reproductive health" and "sexual minorities". The AWDF charter of feminist principles proclaims its commitment to "Freedom of choice and autonomy regarding bodily integrity issues, including reproductive rights, abortion, sexual identity and sexual orientation"
Barnardo's (screenshot below from Comic Relief website). Barnardo's runs the Young Womens London Project which offers a 'sexual health service'. Through the service "young women can access a nurse for free condoms, contraception (including emergency contraception) pregnancy testing and advice about abortion/termination." The Barnardo's website recommends the websites of Marie Stopes International and the Family Planning Association, two of the UK's leading abortion agencies
Terrence Higgins Trust (screenshot below from Comic Relief website), one of the leading lobby groups promoting homosexuality.

This list is by no means exhaustive - go to http://www.comicrelief.com/how-we-help , click on 'Search' on the bottom right-hand corner of the map, and in the 'Type keywords' box, enter the search-terms "sexual" or "reproductive" or "gay".

It is simply unethical for anyone - let alone Catholic schools - to raise money for Comic Relief, that massive bankroller of the culture of death.

Comic Relief funds IPPF

Comic Relief funds African Initiatives

Comic Relief funds Womankind

Comic Relief funds Brook

Comic Relief funds Save the Children

Comic Relief funds Oxfam

Comic Relief funds African Women's Development Fund

Comic Relief funds Barnardo's

Comic Relief funds Terrence Higgins Trust

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About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 42 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.