Susan G. Komen Blinks

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 12:39am

Susan G. Komen Foundation has withdrawn funding supporting breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood because of the GOP witch hunt on women's health services and Planned Parenthood. I am sure women facing the threat of cancer appreciate Komen's cowardice.

Going forward, Planned Parenthood will get all donations that I might have otherwise made to to Komen. Cowardice, thy name is Komen.

Shame, now available in Pink.






The Cowards at Komen Updated On: 2/3/12 at 12:39 AM

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 7:03am

Going forward, Planned Parenthood will get all donations that I might have otherwise made to to Komen.

This.

[madbrian]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 8:34am

In addition to changing your donations, why not tell them about it? The link below will help you find a local chapter. Write to them and tell them that their organizations cowardice will cost them. Here's the text of the email I just sent:

"As a husband and father of three daughters, I have supported every event of yours in this area. However, I have learned that your organization has succumbed to political pressure from right-wing zealots and withdrawn your vital support for Planned Parenthood. Accordingly, I will no longer support your organization, and will instead donate directly to Planned Parenthood. I will also share my actions with family and friends, and encourage them to do the same.

I strongly hope that your organization reconsiders your cowardly decision, and if you do, I will support you in the future."


Komen

Updated On: 2/1/12 at 08:34 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 9:45am

"because of the GOP witch hunt on women's health services and Planned Parenthood."

It is not a witch hunt on women's health services. It is an acknowledgment that murdering a child in the womb is wrong.

And our taxpayer dollars are enough to keep PP in the dough for many years to come.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:09am

Goth, how many unwanted babies are you raising? 12? 15?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:10am

Do you know what Planned Parenthood actually does?

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:16am

97% of PP budget are unrelated to abortion services (despite the GOP intentional misrepresentation and distortions).

I wonder what is next, any organization doing stem cell research will no longer get grants?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:28am

Goth doesn't intend what he says to be taken as a factual statement.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:35am

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:35am

Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress.
Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the charity recently adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities.

Given these statements, I can't come to the conclusion that Susan G. Komen bowed to right-wing pressure. They have a policy and they made a decision based on that policy.

Whether or not the PP investigation in Congress is warranted is another topic. The facts, as I understand them, are that the decision to pull funding is because they do not fund organizations that are under investigation.

I cannot turn my back on the good that Susan G. Komen foundation has done over the years for countless women, men and families.

[madbrian]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:36am

"I wonder what is next, any organization doing stem cell research will no longer get grants?"

If the GOP wins the White House and Senate, and controls the House, then yes.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:43am

"Given these statements, I can't come to the conclusion that Susan G. Komen bowed to right-wing pressure. They have a policy and they made a decision based on that policy"

Do you know when this policy was implemented?

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 11:05am

Addy, I understand completely - and perhaps some people will donate more to Komen after this decision.

And Jordon, this new criteria was implement very recently. As of December last year it was "newly adopted".

I would like to see the assessment criteria and what other groups it has distanced itself from based upon this new criteria. Because honestly, part of me wonders whether the new criteria was a pretext to do this very thing to PP. The VP of Komen is an outspoken anti-choice advocate. She ran for Governor (and lost) of Georgia on a staunch anti-choice/anti-stem cell campaign.

The timing does seem curious - but maybe they are treating a whole bunch of groups like this, only PP is getting the press - who knows. I would like to see the other groups it has withdrawn funding from - and how broadly they interpret "investigation" in all instances. Does tax fraud count? How about a malpractice claim or negligent homicide claim? What about medicare billing practices? What other investigations have resulted in this actions by Komen? If it truly is across the board, then I will agree to disagree with the decision and also agree that it not being used for political purposes.

While I respect everything the organization has done on the research and treatment side, this does raise my "hmmm" factor.




Updated On: 2/1/12 at 11:05 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 11:06am

I'm afraid they did capitulate, Addy. "Under investigation" is a convenient, quasi-legal term here. It does not mean "under indictment" or anything else that warrant such action on Komen's part. The AP article clarifies the "congressional investigation" that Planned Parenthood is undergoing:

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.

One Republican congressman--Representative Cliff Stearns of Florida--started this witch hunt. And this is the anti-abortion group that is determined to put an end to Planned Parenthood once and for all:

http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/archive/archived-updates/461-pp-investigation

As a matter of fact, the new Komen vice president, Karen Handel, ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 on an aggressively anti-abortion platform, using Planned Parenthood as the example of what she would de-fund as governor and "pregnancy crisis centers" run by anti-abortion Christian charities as examples of what she would fund. She is also resolutely against stem-cell research.

So I think Komen's decision was deliberate and calculated.
Susan G. Komen charity ends funding for Planned Parenthood

Updated On: 2/1/12 at 11:06 AM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 11:29am

I am torn because they do a lot of good. They lost a lot of donations when people started talking about their donations to PP. Now they will lose more because they pulled the funding. They can't seem to win.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 11:49am

There are plenty of other foundations that can put your money to good use. And their are plenty of other cancers that don't get nearly the attention and money breast cancer does.

Updated On: 2/1/12 at 11:49 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 11:49am

It's a very effective strategy by the conservative Christians to demonize Planned Parenthood- just like they demonized ACORN. PP is now synonymous with "Abortion" even though, as someone pointed out, 97% of their work is in other areas.

The "right" has adopted this strategy because they are fairly well resigned that they will never prevail at the ballot box or in the courts so they are working to make it impossible for an average woman to get one when needed.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 12:35pm

And of course, because this is how things go in our culture, this decision will disproportionately affect poor and working class women, whose breast exams at Planned Parenthood were covered by the Komen grants.
The Tragic, Craven Undoing of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Noble Mission

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 12:48pm

Given that Komens senior vice president for public policy, Karen Handel, pledged to defund Planned Parenthood when she was running for Georgia governor back in 2010, I don't see why anyone is pretending this is a response to an "investigation" begun in the fall of 2011.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 1:08pm

[wexy]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 1:49pm

Sell out by Komen.. Support the Breast Cancer Research Fund
ironically the first disability claim I got records from today was a breast cancer patient who had received assistance from Planned Parenthood...

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 2:36pm

The good news is that Planned Parenthood has seen a spike not only in donations but in appointments for breast cancer screenings.

[romantico]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 3:05pm

Saw this on Facebook and see it making its way around the internet. Great letter!

To Whom,

I'm writing to inform you that I will no longer be donating to The Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation by any means or venue.

Upon learning that you have appointed an idealogue in Karen Handel, I can no longer, in good conscience, support a cause that does not take seriously the health and well-being of all women. By suspending support for breast examinations through Planned Parenthood, the Komen foundation has turned its back on the most vulnerable women in our society. This action is, for all intents and purposes, a deliberate admission that the foundation wishes breast cancer upon thousands if not millions of women. Planned Parenthood performs nearly 750,000 breast exams per year. Planned Parenthood takes seriously the health of women and I am certain that they will double their efforts to compensate for the deliberate abandonment of women in need by the Komen foundation.

I have not given much, perhaps only a few hundred dollars a year though charity efforts including the various events that I have personally participated in, but my withdrawal of support will not be so limited. I have already begun informing my friends and family through every means at my disposal including internet social networking, web sites, email, phone, and in person. I will not stop there. At any opportunity, I will also inform anyone displaying a pink ribbon of the foundation's abandonment of women who are most vulnerable due to their financial circumstances. I will then encourage them to do all of the above as well.

I am astonished that a foundation whose purpose is the medical treatment and cure for breast cancer would appoint someone as vice president who has herself rejected sound medical wisdom. Planned Parenthood provides many more services than breast examination. They provide counseling, pre-natal and post-natal care and support, contraceptives, and a whole host of other resources that benefit mostly women. But because Planned Parenthood also provides access to safe and legal abortion, which all legitimate medical studies conclude is necessary for the health, well-being, and prosperity of women as a population, Karen Handel has made a decision which will widely and negatively impact women.

I go now to post an exact copy of this email for all to see, and be made aware of the Komen foundation's unwillingness to defend the health of 'certain' women who might now miss the opportunity to catch breast cancer early enough to save their bodies or even their lives.

"For the Cure" my ass.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 3:07pm

This action is, for all intents and purposes, a deliberate admission that the foundation wishes breast cancer upon thousands if not millions of women.

Not really.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 3:29pm

From your link, Namo:

Even if radical anti-choice politics didn't motivate Susan G. Komen for the Cure to discontinue its breast cancer screening, referral and education grants to Planned Parenthood, the damage is done all the same.

And this truly breaks my heart. I can't disagree.

I'm holding on to the silver lining of Reg's post that there has been a spike in appointments for breast cancer screenings. Awareness is always good.

PRS, in response to your post that there are other cancers that don't get nearly the attention that breast cancer does: that's absolutely true. But, the incredible job that breast cancer foundations have done to raise awareness and funds have benefitted cancer research in totality. Many other cancer research programs have received funding and important scientific insight as a result of the efforts of the strong work of breast cancer foundations.

Updated On: 2/1/12 at 03:29 PM