Berkshire Gives Up on Giving (Warren Buffett)

Berkshire Gives Up On Giving
How a pro-life housewife took on Warren Buffett.

FORTUNE
Monday, July 21, 2003
By Nicholas Varchaver

Warren Buffett has drawn criticism in the past for supporting pro-choice causes, but it never affected Berkshire Hathaway's charitable giving—that is, until Cindy Coughlon, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom in Peoria, Ariz., came along. Now, as a result of her campaign against pro-choice donations, the most powerful man in business (see Cover Story) has terminated Berkshire's entire contribution program, which distributed nearly $200 million over the past two decades to institutions ranging from schools to groups on either side of the abortion debate.

The unusual program—call it a charitable dividend—allowed Berkshire shareholders to designate $18 per share annually for up to three charities of their choosing. Some shareholders, including Buffett via his foundation, used the mechanism to give to pro-choice causes such as Planned Parenthood. (FORTUNE editor at large Carol Loomis is a director of the Buffett Foundation.)

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ceo/articles/0,15114,465772,00.html

millions and millions in charitable donations are being stopped because one person objected to where a fraction of the money was going. She thinks she is doing good, but I wonder how much harm she actually caused.

Is that why they're in power and we are not?