Christian Freedom International (CFI), a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that assists persecuted Christians around the world, is voicing concerns about the Melinda Gates Family Planning Summit that was recently held in London, England.

The summit, which was hosted by the UN Population Fund and the International Planned Parenthood Federation in addition to The Gates Foundation, was reportedly organized for the purpose of raising more than $4.3 billion for family planning services for women in Africa and Southeast Asia. But opponents of the summit, including pro-life organizations and the human rights group Amnesty International, are concerned that the summit’s true agenda is the promotion of population control, aimed particularly at dark-skinned women in poor nations.

“The Gates Foundation is not seeking to eliminate poverty, but rather to eliminate poor people,” says Wendy Wright, a CFI board member and Interim Executive Director of C-FAM, a Catholic pro-life organization. Wright, who attended the summit as a reporter, also believes that The Gates Foundation’s funding priority for family planning — which includes abortion — directs money away from more effective programs in Third World countries such as healthcare, education, and employment.

Because CFI provides humanitarian aid and political advocacy for Christians in nations such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, where religious freedoms are denied or severely repressed, the organization is concerned that the summit has advanced the suggestion of a practice that will directly affect those who are discriminated against for their personal faith. “Persecuted Christians will [also] be impacted by this population control/abortion policy,” says CFI president Jim Jacobson. “We are working with Life International to address this issue in our Bible schools and in other places where we have programs.”

For more than 20 years, CFI has assisted thousands of individuals and families who face discrimination, imprisonment, or even murder on the basis of their Christian faith. For more information about Christian persecution and CFI’s work, visit www.christianfreedom.org.

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Tags: abortion, Africa, Asia, family planning, Gates, International Planned Parenthood Federation, life, Melinda, pro, UN, wendy, wright