Men’s Catholic order gave secret millions to ‘deceptive’ anti-abortion centres

Revealed: Tax filings show Knights of Columbus ploughed at least $10.8m into ‘crisis pregnancy centres’ in six years

Open Democracy – by Diana Cariboni, Angelina De Los Santos, Mónica Cordero
14 February 2024

A multi-billion-dollar all-male Catholic order in the US has handed at least $10.8m to hundreds of anti-abortion centres in six years, openDemocracy can reveal – several times what was previously known.

Founded in the 19th century to assist Irish widows and orphans in the US, the Knights of Columbus – named after Christopher Columbus – funded at least 485 of the 2,500 so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centres’ in America between 2017 and 2022, our analysis of hundreds of documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) found. The order claims to have two million members.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/knights-of-columbus-crisis-pregnancy-centres-anti-abortion-us-daf/

‘Dark money’ fuelling ‘retrograde’ anti-abortion activity in UK

By Joshua Askew
21/11/2023

"We should all be troubled that they [US anti-abortion groups] seem to be turning their fire on the UK," one organisation warned.

“Dark money” has surged into UK anti-abortion groups in recent years, Euronews has learnt, aiding controversial activism and raising questions about overseas political influence inside the country.

According to data shared with Euronews by the Good Law Project, "shadowy" funds - where the source is obscured and not fully disclosed - nearly doubled for the UK branch of the "hate group" Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) from 2020 to 2022.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/2023/11/21/dark-money-funding-retrograde-anti-abortion-activity-in-uk

Explainer: What is ‘abortion pill reversal’?

The unproven, potentially dangerous use of progesterone to ‘reverse’ a medical abortion is spreading globally, supported by the US Christian Right

Teddy Wilson
27 May 2021

US religious conservatives have claimed for years that a medical abortion can be ‘reversed’ if high doses of the hormone progesterone are taken.

The problem is that there is no medical evidence to support this claim – and the only trial into the method’s effectiveness and safety was abruptly halted in 2019 after several participants were hospitalised with severe haemorrhaging.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/explainer-what-is-abortion-pill-reversal/

Revealed: Doctors worldwide offer ‘dangerous’ treatment to ‘reverse’ abortions

Health experts call for action from regulators to protect women from spread of controversial method supported by US Christian right activists

Claire Provost
25 March 2021

Doctors in at least a dozen countries, supported by US Christian Right activists, are providing women with a “dangerous” and controversial treatment that claims to “reverse” medical abortions, openDemocracy can reveal today.

Women’s health and rights activists have called for urgent investigation by authorities into these findings – which were described as “horrific” especially during the pandemic when it’s critical for people to trust healthcare providers.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/revealed-doctors-offer-dangerous-treatment-to-reverse-abortions/

Exclusive: Trump-linked religious ‘extremists’ target women with disinformation worldwide

Exclusive: Trump-linked religious ‘extremists’ target women with disinformation worldwide
Lawmakers demand action as openDemocracy reveals global spread of false and “manipulative” activities, posing “grave risks” to women and democracy.

Claire Provost and Nandini Archer
10 February 2020

A global network of ‘crisis pregnancy centres’, backed by US anti-abortion groups linked to the Trump White House, has been condemned by lawmakers, doctors and rights advocates for targeting vulnerable women with “disinformation, emotional manipulation and outright deceit”.

There are thousands of such centres in the US. Many have been criticised for posing as neutral health facilities for women with crisis pregnancies while hiding their anti-abortion and religious agendas. But the global scale of these controversial activities has not been mapped until now.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/trump-linked-religious-extremists-global-disinformation-pregnant-women/