Ipas is a global abortion advocacy group operating in dozens of countries around the world to support pro-abortion laws, health clinics, and abortion education. Ipas supports left-wing political positions, including late-term abortion, legalizing self-induced abortions, and changing American foreign aid rules to permit the U.S. government to fund organizations that provide abortions.

In 2021, Ipas claimed that approximately 468,000 women received abortions from Ipas-supported facilities. ¹

Global Operations

In Africa, Ipas operates in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, and the Francophone nations of West Africa. ² In 2021, about 40% of Ipas’s expenditure went to Africa. ³

In Asia, Ipas operates in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. ⁴

Ipas also operates in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, and Central America. ⁵

Politics

Opposition to Helms Amendment

Ipas opposes the Helms Amendment, which prohibits U.S. government aid from being spent on abortions. Ipas calls the amendment a “racist” policy targeted at black and brown women in the developing world. ⁶ Ipas supports the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act, which would repeal the Helms Amendment. ⁷

Ipas also opposes a rule which prohibits U.S.-funded NGOs from offering counselling or referrals related to abortion. ⁸

Self-Induced Abortions

Ipas supports the right of women to have access to medication which induces abortions. ⁹

Late-Term Abortions

Ipas supports legal access to abortions after 13 weeks’ gestation. The group argues that most injuries or deaths related to abortions occur after 13 weeks, so legalizing late-term abortions will create safer conditions. ¹⁰

Climate Change

Ipas supports “women-led climate justice,” or having more female political leaders making policies to fight climate change, since allegedly “Women and girls disproportionately bear the brunt of suffering from climate-related events.” Ipas cites a study from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which claims a link between climate change and gender-based violence against women. ¹¹

Male Advocacy for Gender Equity

Ipas runs numerous programs designed to encourage men to support gender equity. For instance, Ipas has a program which trains Bolivian military recruits to “challenge toxic masculinity.” ¹²

Funding

The vast majority of Ipas’s funding comes from grants from organizations around the world, though it does earn some revenue from contracts. Ipas receives no money from the U.S. government. ¹³

In August 2022, Ipas listed the following “current grantees”: Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance, Entashata Loita CBO, Action Hope Malawi, PROFAMILIA Nicaragua, Nucleus of Women’s Associations of Zambézia, SAIF Advocacy Foundation, Onelife Initiative for Human Development, DEAP, and The Zambian Youth Platform. ¹⁴

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Social Justice

In March 2021, Ipas approved a new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy, which includes the publishing of bi-annual reports on “internal anti-racism work,” and DEI objectives for the CEO. ¹⁵

Ipas CEO Ana Kumar and Ipas senior policy adviser Gillian Kane hosted a webinar entitled “White Supremacy Is Global,” which argued that anti-abortion advocacy is tied to white supremacy. ¹⁶

In September 2021, Ipas hosted a webinar on how restrictions on abortion access in Texas were an act of “white supremacy.” ¹⁷

Leadership

Ipas CEO Ana Kumar initially joined Ipas in 2002 as executive vice president and then became chief strategy and development officer in 2016. Kumar was previously a senior program officer in the Population and Reproductive Health program of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for seven years. Before that, she worked at the World Health Organization’s Reproductive Health Research Division. ¹⁸

Chief of development and external relations Muadi Mukenge previously worked at the Pacific Institute for Women’s Health for five years, and for the Global Fund for Women for 12 years. She is a former board member of the African Studies Association and New Field Foundation. ¹⁹

1. “Impact Report 2020-2021.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/annual-report-FY21-digital2.pdf.
2. “Where We Work.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/about-us/.
3. “Impact Report 2020-2021.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/annual-report-FY21-digital2.pdf.
4. “Where We Work.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/about-us/.
5. “Where We Work.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/about-us/.
6. “Reducing the harm of U.S. foreign policies.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/our-work/reducing-the-harm-of-u-s-foreign-policies/.
7. “Ipas.” Twitter. July 29, 2022. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://twitter.com/IpasOrg/status/1553046703909048321
8. “Reducing the harm of U.S. foreign policies.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/our-work/reducing-the-harm-of-u-s-foreign-policies/.
9. “Supporting the right to abortion self-care.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/our-work/abortion-self-care/.
10. “Ensuring access to abortion at or after 13 weeks.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/our-work/abortion-care-at-or-after-13-weeks/.
11. “Women-led climate justice.” Ipas Climate Justice. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://ipasclimatejustice.org/.
12. “Advancing Gender Equity.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/our-work/advancing-gender-equity/.
13. “Impact Report 2020-2021.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/annual-report-FY21-digital2.pdf.
14. “Ipas Collaborative Fund.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/about-us/ipas-collaborative-fund/.
15. “About Us.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/about-us/.
16. “Dr. Anu Kumar.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/leadership/anu-kumar/.
17. “Unpacking the Texas abortion ban: White supremacy in the anti-rights movement.” YouTube. September 23, 2021. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyWoV1g4U7w.
18. “Dr. Anu Kumar.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/leadership/anu-kumar/.
19. “Muadi Mukenge.” Ipas. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ipas.org/leadership/muadi-mukenge/.