One of the world's most prestigious international pro-life groups, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), is calling upon supporters of the culture of life to sign a petition asking billionaire Melinda Gates to cancel her upcoming Family Planning Summit in which the world's largest abortion providers will plan on how to promote contraception to poor women.

"This is population control plain and simple, population control aimed at poor dark-skinned women," said C-FAM president Austin Ruse in a recent e-mail.  

The wife of Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is hosting the summit in London on July 11 and is only allowing promoters of abortion and population control, such as the UN Population Fund and Planned Parenthood, to attend. Their goal is to raise $4 billion to promote contraception among the poor.

"Even though our voices will be shut out, we will not be silenced," Ruse says, and is attempting to gather 100,000 signatures on an open letter to Melinda Gates that will be hand-delivered to her either at her Seattle headquarters or on the steps of the Summit.

In the letter, Ruse expresses his concern about the Summit's purpose, which is to launch a global campaign that will pressure governments to encourage women to view children as "burdens and expendable." While participation in the event is open only to those who want to fund such a program, he asks if she will be willing to dialogue "with those who have another vision."

"You say women around the world tell you they want contraception. Perhaps that is because the people surrounding you are devoted to contraception and abortion. Your summit is organized by – and limited to – pro-abortion and population control advocates," the letter states.

It goes on to stress the fact that global efforts such as these inevitably lead to abuses. "Whenever governments and NGOs get together to encourage poor women to use contraceptives, the result is often coercion and abuse. In fact, your partners for the Summit . . . have all been implicated in abuses against women related to family planning."

Ruse has only three weeks to collect what he hopes will be at least 100,000 signatures to deliver to Gates before the summit.

"Please read the Open Letter to Melinda Gates, sign it, and then send this email to everyone in your address book," Ruse is asking. "The only way this will be effective is if this email and this petition go viral all over the Internet."

Click here to sign the letter.

© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com