The Walter H. McClenon Fund, Inc.

Special Report

Subject                  Center for Reproductive Rights

                                120 Wall Street

                                New York, NY 10005

 

                This is a recommendation that the Center for Reproductive rights be found eligible and currently nominated by the general Endowment and Ineligible for contributions from the Special endowment.

 

                This organization, founded in 1992 is “a nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and defending women’s reproductive rights worldwide.”  Reproductive freedom is important for human dignity, self-determination, and equality.  The Center’s literature mentions seven rights: (1) safe and affordable contraception; (2) safe, accessible, and legal abortion; (3) safe and healthy pregnancy; (4) health care services without discrimination, coercion, or violence; (5) equal access to reproductive health care for women facing social and economic barriers; (6) freedom from practices (such as genital mutilation) that harm women and girls; and (7) private and confidential doctor-patient relationship.

 

 The Center is a legal advocacy organization.  Its actions have helped define reproductive rights law in the United States and it has worked with more than 100 organizations in 45 nations to strengthen reproductive health laws and policies worldwide.

 

It is a §501(c) (3) organization. It does not receive or accept any U.S. government funding. In 2006 it received about $8.5 million in grants and contributions, and volunteer services valued at about $1.7 million. Investment income and attorney fees provided about $1.4 million, making a total of about $11.6 million in 2006 receipts. Their 2006 Program services cost (in millions) about $4.0 for Domestic services, about $2.3 for International, and about $1.2 for Communication and public education, making a total of about $7.5 for program services. Then they also spent about $0.8 for administration and about $1.2 for fundraising, or a total of $2.0 for support services.—a total of $9.5 millions spent in 2006.

 

The center does lobbying and is therefore (under By-laws III G) ineligible for any contribution from our Special endowment.  The General Endowment is (under by-law III D) allowed to contribute to groups that support “….(4) civil liberty or human freedom; (5) rehabilitation of persons suffering from a special handicap, and (6) economic self-sufficiency of a disadvantaged group…”  Is being a woman a “special handicap?” Are women a “disadvantaged group?  No matter what answer one gives for (5) and (6), the Center surely qualifies under (4) civil liberty or human freedom.  (You don’t have to approve of taking advantage of all seven of those “rights” but advocating them is indeed advocating “freedom!”)

 

                                                                                Paul McClenon

                                                                                September 30, 2007