Susan G. Komen v Planned Parenthood

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has announced that it will cut breast screening grants to organizations that do not meet its new criteria -- barring grants to organization under investigation and/or changes in the type of breast screening providers it wants to support -- or simply Planned Parenthood.

According to the Komen chair, it was not a political decision. But how is it not when the "investigation" of Planned Parenthood that resulted in pulling the funds is 100% political, coupled with the alleged role (according to Komen insiders) of the recently appointed VP for Public Policy at Komen who ran for governor in Georgia (and lost) in large part on an anti-choice and anti-Planned Parenthood campaign.

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP24274f90e0cb423497ed936ca89b2cf0.html

It is disheartening see such a rift between two organizations that provide such valuable services and have such shared goal become so wide as a result of the influence of extreme ideologues.

At the same time it is heartening to me to see the backlash that Komen is facing and the outpouring of support for Planned Parenthood.

I will be withholding my support of Komen for now.

 

Sometimes one has to take a stand in order to make a point, even if making that point seems to have unpleasant consequences for others. The thing is, you have to be willing to say what your point is, and why you feel that way. I don't see that Komen really has made a point here. Simply denying funding over the fact that an organisation is under some form of investigation is laughable.

If they want to say it's about abortion, or that they feel they must bow to public outcry over supporting an organisation that supports abortion, then do so, and see what sort of backlash that generates. Don't hide behind flimsy, transparent politically correct curtains.

 

It's clearly political, and to state otherwise is simply foolish. It doesn't count for much, but as a regular donator to the Komen foundation I sent them an email informing them I would no longer be donating to their effort, and asking for similar organizations not dominated by anti-choice political objectives.

That'll show 'em!!!

 

Perhaps if the foundation put all their money into cancer research rather than suing charities that use the word "cure" or use the color pink, there wouldn't e such a backlash

 

CNN reports that Komen has reversed its position on PP, so it seems that public outcry can sometimes work.

 

I think about what it would be like to lead an organization like this, and wake up one morning to the biggest shitstorm imaginable.
It can't be fun, and as Baraka says above, you lose no matter what you do. It's a no win situation at this point.
Major headaches going on tonight.

 

I don't think it's unfortunate at all. Komen is the largest, but it's certainly not the best advocate for breast cancer victims and survivors.

http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/ ​

http://bcaction.org/
http://www.jimmyv.org/

 

Amen.



My wife supports breast cancer with the walks and such

 

I never heard of them. Mind you, I'd rather donate to prostate cancer due to the imbalance of funding between prostate cancer and breast cancer.

 

From 03-07 breast cancer killed about 207,000 people and Prostate 145,000. Lung cancer killed 792,500. I think we have bigger problems than breast and prostate cancer put together.

 

Its called people (like me) that don't listen to the surgen generals warnings.

 

I would like to think that the democrats thought this up to motivate their base, but then I realize that this is too advanced for them.