Contact: Life Decisions International, 540-631-0380, ext. 22, media@fightpp.org

WASHINGTON, Mar. 12 /Standard Newswire/ -- "There are a lot of reasons why 'American Idol' drives me crazy," said Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI). "For example, Americans should not be voting for the contestants they like but for the person they believe should be eliminated. And it is suggested that judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell audition every contestant but in truth they see only a handful. Remarkably good singers are eliminated by representatives of the producers in favor of people who cannot sing a note and others who can easily be belittled by Cowell. After all, the 'freak factor' draws a television audience." But Scott is not concerned that the show's producers are more interested in television ratings than in finding the best singer among those who audition. He is concerned that "American Idol" is aligning itself with the agenda of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children.

On March 8, 2007, "American Idol" announced its "Idol Gives Back" program, the stated goal of which is to "raise awareness of the effects of poverty on children and young people in the US and Africa." Corporate sponsors of the television show, such as Coca-Cola and AT&T, have pledge to make a donation to Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) for every person who calls to vote for a contestant on April 24, 2007. The Ford Motor Company has also pledged to support the effort. Scholastic Inc. has created a website for teachers and students. The following evening, several celebrities will appear on the show to promote "Idol Gives Back." Americans will be invited to call a toll-free number or go online to make a donation to CPEF, which will turn the money over to UNICEF, Save the Children, and several other groups.

"For years UNICEF spokesmen denied promoting contraception or abortion," wrote Winifride Prestwich in "UNICEF: Guilty As Charged." She said records prove that "step by step over a 30-year period UNICEF has tied itself to the population controllers and to the anti-life, anti-family attitudes of such organizations as the International Planned Parenthood Federation."

A major study released by the International Organizations Research Group documented UNICEF's ties to abortion and radical feminism. Titled, "UNICEF, Women or Children First?" the report showed that UNICEF has helped to write many documents that call for increased access to abortion and the legalization of abortion worldwide. It was discovered that UNICEF had funded a program run by the Population Council, the group that holds the U.S. patent for the abortion pill RU-486. UNICEF has also supported a South African group (loveLife) that actively promotes abortion to its mostly underage audience. It is now official UNICEF policy to "Promote and expand access to sexual and reproductive health services, including access to condoms," the report stated. A high-ranking UNICEF official has even called for his group to "make condoms available and accessible for everybody, everywhere and at all times. Abstinence is simply not a realistic option for most young people in the world today," the official said.

Save the Children has a working relationship with what it calls "prominent international organizations." Among these groups are several that are actively pro-abortion, including Better World Fund, Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International, U.S. Committee for UNICEF. For example, in 2001 Save the Children worked with Planned Parenthood, Population Action Council and the pro-abortion National Audubon Society on the five-year "Planet campaign." Sponsored by the rabidly pro-abortion David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the purpose of the campaign was to "raise awareness of the connections between international family planning and the health of children, women and the environment." The campaign consisted of television and print advertising, press relations, community outreach, special events, and other activities. Save the Children said the campaign's website provided "an international forum for discussion of, and action on, women's reproductive health--including family planning--in various countries and diverse cultures around the world."

Save the Children has stated that "family planning" has been a "critical component" its work for nearly 20 years. Save the Children quoted from a UNICEF which stated that "family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race." Save the Children noted that the report identified "access to family planning" as a "key factor contributing to maternal and child survival and well-being."

"It is laudable that the people involved with 'American Idol' want to help the poor," Scott said. "But it is tragic that they would choose to do so through groups like UNICEF and Save the Children to do so. These groups have far too much deadly baggage." Scott urged pro-family Americans to support organizations that do not believe killing is an acceptable "solution" to poverty. "People who are pro-family should not cast an 'American Idol' vote on April 24."

Life Decisions International (LDI) is dedicated to challenging the Culture of Death, concentrating on exposing and fighting the agenda of Planned Parenthood. LDI's chief project is a boycott of corporations that fund the abortion-committing giant. To learn more about Planned Parenthood, please visit: www.fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=wrong