Corporate Ignorance?

As a follow-up to our report in April regarding McDonald’s secondary involvement in the Sansum Conference, it is proper for the American Life League to not only examine that problem, but the
Corporate problem in general. The question of why heirs to large fortunes appear to involve themselves in promoting the elimination of future customers does remain a mystery, but hopefully this series will shed light in a dark place.

Beginning with McDonald’s

As reported in ALL About Issues, pages 24-25, April 1988, according to the Kroc Foundation IRS form 990, two separate gifts were given to Sansum Medical Research. One donation was $25,000 while the other was $50,000. Both of these donations are recorded as “final gifts” for the year 1985. The Sansum Medical Research Foundation presented the first Sansum Symposium in 1986, the point of which was to explore the use of the pancreatic tissue from aborted children as potential transplant tissue. Chevron USA, Hana Biologics and Del Webb Foundation, etc., were involved in the funding of this project, in addition to the Kroc Endowment. Further research into this Kroc Endowment grant has shown that heirs to the McDonald’s fortune were in fact involved in the same sort of research for the years prior to 1985.

Example:

* The Kroc Foundation sponsored a Workshop on Preventing Rejection of Transplanted Pancreas of Islets, Jan. 11 through 14, 1982. Topics included the use of tissue from aborted children, ages 12 to 24 weeks.

* The Kroc Foundation sponsored a conference on pancreas transplatation, June 8 and 9, 1979. Dr. Robert Kroc, interestingly, attended the conference, as a photo on the reports of proceedings from this conference indicates. As one of the advisors, Dr. Kroc made more than a simple, financial contribution.

* Fact: The Kroc Foundation has, as members of its board, members of the Kroc family who did, as a matter of record, gain their wealth directly from the success of McDonald’s Corporation.

* Fact: Certain members of the board of the Kroc Foundation also sit on the board of directors of McDonald’s Corporation. These individuals sat on the board of the Kroc Foundation at the exact time when the above grants were provided for the conferences held to establish scientific procedures (read “designed ignorance”) to use the tissues of children intentionally slaughtered by abortion.

And There’s More

In addition to the Kroc Foundation, there exists the Joan B. Kroc Foundation, consisting of a board of three, one of whom is also a member of the board of directors of the McDonald’s Corporation
(Ballard Smith). This foundation, according to McDonald’s Corporation contributes at the discretion of its board and has nothing to do with McDonald’s, though Mrs. Kroc is a major shareholder in Mcdonald’s Corporation.

In working with this particular corporation, American Life League must reflect the attitude of Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D., who has uncovered the research reported above and who is continuing to communicate with McDonald’s corporate headquarters and its officers. As the story of these grants unfolds, it becomes crystal clear that McDonald’s heirs were more than casual observers of the heinous discussions occurring at these various conferences.

And what could have provoked members of the Kroc Foundation tosupport such grisly research? Perhaps this financial backing was inspired by the fact that at the same time as the occurrence of the first of these meetings, the U.S. Public Health Service was providing funds for the same type of research, as evidenced by a report published in 1981 entitled: “Recovery and Functions of Human Fetal Pancreas Frozen to 196C” (John A. Kemp, Susan N. Hunt, Josiah Brown and William R. Clark, authors; Williams and Wilkins Co., 1981).

Please keep those letters going to McDonald’s. At the very least, it seems to us, members of that corporation should be seeking, from the Kroc Foundation or the Joan B. Kroc Foundation, a major
contribution to pro-life fetologists who are working to heal in the womb, not destroy and mutilate.

R.G. Starmann, Vice President
McDonald’s Corporation
McDonald’s Plaza
Oak Brook Illinois 60521
(312) 575-7597

Corporate Foundations in General

Major Corporations, and their foundations, do provide grants for other purposes as well. Following is our report.

> The Kresge Foundation <

Chairman Alfred H. Taylor, Jr., of the Kresge Foundation, wrote to American Life League, Jan. 25, 1988, as follows: “… The Foundation did authorize a grant of $250,000 on Feb. 16, 1987, to
Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati.” In the letter, Mr. Taylor stated that the primary focus of Planned Parenthood is health and that after a fire-bombing of Planned Parenthood, the funding was approved for replacing the Planned Parenthood facility.

Mr. Taylor also pointed out that the actions of the foundation are distinctly independent of the K Mart Corporation. He stated in closing: “Your views and those of many others about Planned
Parenthood, especially regarding abortion, can and should be respected. The Foundation’s grant, however, will remain in place.” Again, there would be no Kresge Foundation without the success of the K Mart Corporation.

Alfred H. Taylor, Jr., Chairman
The Kresge Foundation
P.O. Box 3151
Troy, Mi 48007-9630
(313) 643-9630

> H.J. Heinz Company Foundation <

Mr. S. Donald Wiley, trustee of the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation wrote an American Life League supporter on Feb. 20, 1987: “… We wish to advise you that none off the foundation’s contributions are applied to other than Planned Parenthood’s ongoing health care services and educational efforts, which we deem worthy of financial support. It is our understanding that abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood are funded by patient fees and donations earmarked for that particular purpose.”

“…We endorse the health care and educational activities of Planned Parenthood, which we believe are supportive in strengthening the loving relationship of parents and their children.” Again under the impression that Planned Parenthood is doing mankind a “service”, this foundation, in existence because of a corporation’s success, supports Planned Parenthood.

S. Donald Wiley, Trustee
H.J. Heinz Company Foundation
P.O. Box 57
Pittsburgh, PA
(412) 456-5772

> Scott Paper <

Janet M. Jones, consumer relations, Scott Paper Company, wrote to American Life League on Feb. 17, 1988: “…We had supported an education program sponsored by Planned Parenthood designed to bring parents and teens together to talk about the prevention of unplanned pregnancy…. The Scott Foundation will focus…in 1988 [on]: School based clinics and basic sex education programs.”

Corporate support, through the Scott Foundation, though ended for Planned Parenthood with its 1987 grant, is now going to the very program which Planned Parenthood has so skillfully sold to the public: [a] Clinics in the schools for cafeteria-style birth control and abortion services! and [b] permissive sex instruction.

Janet M. Jones, Operation Manager
Customer Relations
Scott Paper Company
Scott Plaza
Philadelphia, PA 19113
(215) 522-5000

> Pillsbury <

Carol B. Truesdell, vise president, Community relations, the Pillsbury Company, wrote to American Life League on Feb. 12, 1988: “The Pillsbury Company Foundation made a contribution of $8,500 to Planned Parenthood of Minnesota in 1987 in support of its medical and health education services for low-income women…. No Contributions have been made to the national Planned Parenthood organization….  The Pillsbury Company respects your opinions on this very difficult issue and will take them into consideration when we next review our relationship with Planned Parenthood of Minnesota.” Perhaps pro-life people are making an impact with Pillsbury!

Carol B. Truesdell, Vice President
Community Relations
The Pillsbury Company
Pillsbury Center
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 330-4629

> Levi Strauss and Co. <

Peter E. Haas, chairman of the board, Levi Strauss, wrote to the American Life League on March 4, 1988: “During the past five years the [Levi Strauss] Foundation has given approximately $25 million in grants throughout its programs. About $75,000 of these funds were directed to Planned Parenthood agencies to provide education about drug abuse, communicable disease parenting, and family planning.” How much did they give to pro-life agencies for education, nurturing of families, etc.? Nothing.

Peter E. Haas, Chairman of the Board
Levi Strauss and Company
Levi’s Plaza
San Francisco, California 94120
(415) 544-6000

> General Mills <

The General Mills Corporate Citizenship Report, 1987, lists on page 25, a grant of $16,000 to Planned Parenthood of Minnesota under the heading: “Health.” Gifts were given by the General Mills
Foundation.

James P. Shannon, Vice President
General Mills Foundation
P.O. Box 1113
Minneapolis, MN 55440

Well, Now What?

If you take a look at this report, you will see the consistent element which pro-life people must learn to build upon and that is “health.” The public health and welfare is always of concern to
those in corporate leadership because their future profits are based upon this concern.

If you have a desire to do something positive to negate the effects of the various grants listed above, it must start with your desire to show:
a. That abortion is terribly unhealthy for babies and mothers;
b. That providing Planned Parenthood or any anti-life facility with support is working against their own profit for the future, which means an end to net profit;
c. That pro-life expertise and service is worth at least equal support if not more.

When you write, send an enclosure to prove your point. When you call, be friendly and loving while you educate. When you travel to a corporate office to meet with an official, do what Dr. Nathanson is doing with the Mcdonald’s officials and stick to the facts of the matter at hand.

Our concern is the same as theirs; we want to see a healthy and happy America. However, the way to achieve this goal is not to eliminate the babies! Or the elderly! Or any one created in the
image and likeness of God!

Now, write, call, or visit, and next month we will give you the graphs and statistics you need to make a case with your group or church.

(C) by Judie Brown. Mrs Brown is President of American Life League.

(C) 1988 American Life League, P.O. Box 1350, Stafford, VA 22554