ASPIRE gets monthly funding from US

LOCAL PRO-ABORTION group ASPIRE is reportedly getting about US$20,000 a month in funding from Planned Parenthood in the United States for its campaign to legalise abortions in Trinidad and Tobago. This was revealed yesterday by attorney-at-law Leela Ramdeen when she spoke at a seminar entitled “In Defence of the Unborn” organised by the Hospital Christian Fellowship at Crowne Plaza in Port-of-Spain. Ramdeen pointed out that Planned Parenthood, a driving force behind ASPIRE’s pro-abortion campaign, earns about US$500 billion a year from abortions performed in the US.

“ASPIRE, on Radio 106 the other day, admitted they get money from Planned Parenthood for their work. I understand it is in the sum of about US$20,000 a month, that is more than TT$120,000. “These people are fighting because they are getting money, so it is worth their while to keep doing these things.” Ramdeen, a member of Lawyers for Jesus, said ASPIRE was closely linked to the research arm of Planned Parenthood, with access to all the top lawyers and professionals at the forefront of the US abortion movement. “When ASPIRE writes all these letters, quite often they just write to America, say what has been said about them and they get their answers straight back. They don’t have to work too hard.” Ramdeen told the gathering she had been accused by ASPIRE chairperson Lynette Seebaran-Suite of poisoning that group’s attempts to “promote rational and truthful dialogue” on the issue.

She declared, “There is nothing further from the truth.” She said the document, “Women’s Choice on Pregnancy Bill,” which was being promoted as draft legislation to make abortions legal in this country, is not a Bill. “Not a single Senator or MP has identified this to put forward to Parliament. This is a document, this is a proposal, so don’t be fooled. Nobody has acknowledged this in any way as a draft Bill.” Ramdeen said the document was launched publicly in “a very clever way” at the Pharmacy Board to gain some credibility. She revealed that a recent attempt to stage a workshop, with support from a Government ministry, was derailed after it was discovered that it was being done without the knowledge or approval of the Minister.

“Now see the danger,” she said, “our Government, our Prime Minister says he is pro-life, so if ASPIRE can get a ministry to collaborate with them in running a workshop, see the danger for us, because they will be able to publicly say then that they have Government support.” Ramdeen and another attorney who spoke at the seminar, Pat Roberts, warned that the campaign was to make abortion on demand legal at any stage of pregnancy. Roberts noted that there were provisions in the ASPIRE document for minors to secure abortions without parental consent and for women to do the procedure without the knowledge, or consent of their spouses which could have the effect of “tearing families asunder.” In addition, the document also recommends fines and imprisonment for medical practitioners who refuse to perform abortions.