If you believe that what the Susan G. Komen For The Cure organization did to Planned Parenthood was wrong, I encourage you to visit this site and share it with everyone you know.
This post was originally written late in the evening of January 31, 2012 and published on Mark Edwards Rants. Updates to the story are at the end of this post.
I was stunned this evening to read that the Susan G. Komen For The Cure organization has decided to stop funding breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics with the obscene money they get from their guilt based fund raising efforts. Here's the crux of the story, courtesy of the AP:
NEW YORK – The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates — creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.
The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.
Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.
We're not talking about Komen funding abortions, we're talking about them funding breast cancer screenings for women who can't afford them. In my opinion, this is an outrage and the Komen Foundation should be called out for this.
I've worked with the Komen Foundation for many years across the country, and I think their intentions are, as a whole, good. However, they constantly spin the story of their mission by making breast cancer seem like the end of the world. Yes, breast cancer is a terrible disease, but more women die of heart attacks every year than breast cancer, and the American Heart Association doesn't get the kind of attention and funding that Komen does.
I remember going into a grocery store last October and being in a sea of pink as seemingly every packaged goods manufacturer slapped a pink ribbon on their product to support breast cancer awareness in general and Komen in particular. The money that the Komen Foundation collected from sales of all those items, their ubiquitous races across America, and their hijacking the month of October to educate and, oh yeah, raise millions of dollars, money which will no longer go to help some of the neediest women get screened for breast cancer.
My mother has had a bout with breast cancer and beat it. I know countless other women who have been affected by breast cancer, and have lost some friends to the cancers that develop AFTER breast cancer. I hate breast cancer. But I hate the fact that the people who run the Komen Foundation caved in to pressure from groups who have issues with Planned Parenthood that have nothing to do with breast cancer. So now, I'll never support the Susan G. Komen For The Cure, their huge list of sponsors, or any of their events, and I encourage you to share this post, click on the links and see who is aiding and abetting the Komen people in this horrific action, and do the same as me.
Interestingly, a check of the Komen Media Center late on the night of January 31 doesn't yield a news release about their cowardly action. But Planned Parenthood has plenty to say about this slap in the face in their newsroom.
I'm tired of being held hostage every October by the Komen people, and I will say it out loud, I can't stand the St. Louis Race For The Cure and the self righteous attitude that the local Komen people take in regards to that event. This year's race is June 23, and it will be my pleasure to be as far away from it as possible.
Again, this isn't about breast cancer. Breast cancer is bad, affects far too many women, and leads to other diseases that kill indiscriminately. This is about freedom of choice, EVERY woman's right to early breast cancer screening, and how political forces can make organizations bend over just to stay away from anything controversial. The Komen Foundation is spineless and has overlooked their mission in favor of staying out of a very political issue. They should be ashamed of themselves. And those of us who disagree with their decision should show our displeasure by not patronizing Komen's sponsors and donating to the American Cancer Society, organizations like Gilda's Club, or Planned Parenthood.
