Komen Breast Cancer Charity Severs Ties with Planned Parenthood
On its face, this would appear to be a good thing, through and through:
In what looks to be a break between two organizations dedicated to women’s health, a national breast cancer awareness group said it would stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood centers for breast cancer examinations and other breast health services.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leader in fundraising for breast cancer research and famous worldwide for its iconic pink ribbon, said Tuesday that it was halting all partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates because of recently adopted criteria that forbid it from funding any organization under government investigation.
I spoke with Georgette Forney, president of Anglicans for Life, who said: “I am pleased with their decision to de-fund PP, obviously. The best part, though, is that their actions have called attention to the fact that Planned Parenthood is under investigation.” In September 2011, Florida Republican Cliff Stearns launched a U.S. House inquiry into whether Planned Parenthood is violating the condition that it not use its donations to fund abortions.
No doubt it’s good that Planned Parenthood will have their funding reduced, but before anyone gets carried away heaping praise on SGK - let alone giving money to them - let’s recall that their stated reason for pulling their funding of Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with the moral repugnance of abortion; it’s that they have a rule in their by-laws stipulating they cannot donate to organizations under government investigation. Now it may, in fact, be the case that the unofficial position of SGK’s leadership find abortion morally repugnant (Karen Handel, who last year became SGK’s senior vice president for public policy, is strongly pro-life), but lacking a clear repudiation of Planned Parenthood’s mission, pro-lifers should assume that, absent such government investigation, SGK would happily resume its financial support of Planned Parenthood.
Another angle to this story that should not go unnoticed is that it’s served to illustrate, yet again, the moral depravity - and the intellectual emptiness - of the left. Over at the aptly-named Jezebel, the headline is “Susan G Komen Foundation Bows to Pro-Life Bullying.” Comments at the Huffington Post are running easily 5-1 against SGK.
The mood at both sites accurately reflects the left’s attitude as a whole: It’s deplorable - despicable - that SGK has chosen not to fund Planned Parenthood, and many are calling for a boycott of SGK.
From this, we have to conclude either that these people are unaware that they can donate to SKG… and Planned Parenthood, separately, and maintain their contributions both to an organization helping with the search for a breast cancer cure, and to an organization devoted to killing unborn innocents; or that their support of killing unborn innocents outweighs by so much their support of finding a cure for breast cancer, that they would rather deprive cancer research of ninety-five cents than know that a nickle of theirs won’t be going to fund abortion. The former conclusion is proof of sheer stupidity, the latter is proof of a depraved heart. But so it is on the pro-abortion left, and I suppose so shall it ever be.
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I think this is wonderful. I’ve noticed a dogged and often vicious group re-enforcement from the far left for a long time. As if one has to be for gun control and abortion and social agenda, but not two of three or whatever, all or nothing. Basically, discouragement of forming ones own opinion. In this day and age, with pink ribbons EVERYWHERE, they just might have bitten off more than they can handle and the center left might be force to ponder their support for protecting the murder of the unborn.
[1] Posted by Hosea6:6 on 2-1-2012 at 12:23 PM · [top]
It may be that the expectation of this kind of backlash from the left was what caused SGK to describe their defunding of Planned Parenthood in the way that they did. As a breast cancer survivor of over 6 years myself
, the partnership of SGK and Planned Parenthood has been troubling since I learned of it only a year or so ago.
[2] Posted by old lady on 2-1-2012 at 02:19 PM · [top]
“let’s recall that their stated reason for pulling their funding of Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with the moral repugnance of abortion; it’s that they have a rule they have in their by-laws that they cannot donate to organizations under government investigation.”
But it is heartening in these days of Obamas and Schoris that at least someone has the decency to follow their own freaking rules.
And if PP might be misusing funds for abortion that presumably SGK would want earmarked for other things related to health/breast cancer, then they *should* pull funding. Otherwise it would be like giving to a charity you *know* is corrupt.
[3] Posted by SpongJohn SquarePantheist on 2-1-2012 at 02:52 PM · [top]
[2]old lady - I’m also a 6-year survivor (or rather will be in March) and I too was troubled that such a large breast cancer charity was connected in any way to PP. I was very glad to hear they’d severed the connection - hopefully it isn’t only temporary. It should be interesting to see what Congress finds in its investigation of PP. Will the truth come out? Hope so.
[4] Posted by Nellie on 2-1-2012 at 04:14 PM · [top]
From LifesiteNews, you might want to let Komen know if you agree with their decision, because they’re hearing plenty from the other side:
[5] Posted by Branford on 2-1-2012 at 07:02 PM · [top]
Just to make it easy, here’s the link for contacting Komen. Be sure to share far and wide.
[6] Posted by Jackie on 2-1-2012 at 07:08 PM · [top]
Old lady and Nellie…that makes three of us (4 years for me). I would love to be able to participate in SGK events and financially back my friends who do so, but I have not been able to since learning of the connection with PP. I am now off to follow the link above and congratulate the SGK people and encourage them to continue the separation.
[7] Posted by Ann Castro on 2-1-2012 at 07:33 PM · [top]
I went to the link to send an email. Does anyone know what subject to pick from their pull-down menu?
[8] Posted by Nellie on 2-1-2012 at 08:03 PM · [top]
I choose Grants.
[9] Posted by Jackie on 2-1-2012 at 08:10 PM · [top]
I chose grants, too.
[10] Posted by old lady on 2-1-2012 at 09:01 PM · [top]
Susan Komen states that they were giving money to PP to fund instructors of Breast Self Exams (BSE’s) and for practioners to do breast exams.
I would ask, why is the Susan Komen foundation wasting donor money on programs to don’t work. From Breast Self-Exam Gets Thumbs Down in Systematic Review:
So the whole business was bogus. We all know that money is fungible. They were funding abortions.
[11] Posted by robroy on 2-1-2012 at 09:11 PM · [top]
And hooray for Georgette Forney!
[12] Posted by robroy on 2-1-2012 at 09:12 PM · [top]
Thanks for posting the link. Their site is a little difficult to navigate. I was able to post on the “sound off” drop down menu. But I had to pick one post and add to it. So, its not a single thread. And thanks Rob Roy for that reminder. Wow.
[13] Posted by Theron Walker✙ on 2-2-2012 at 12:01 AM · [top]
Robroy, the money is fungible thing is one of the points I keep trying to make to our church’s Endowment Committee when we meet to approve matching gifts. All the other ocmmittee members insist that money given to the local PP can be specified for education and breast exams and the like. My contention has always been that the money our gift frees up can be used for the morning after pill, which they give out free at the local clinic. (Not to mention that the “education” PP provides brainwashes young people.)
[14] Posted by Nellie on 2-2-2012 at 09:52 AM · [top]
The move would appear to be a prudent and potentially financially beneficial one for Komen. Financial separation from Planned Parenthood makes Komen a more attractive donation option for pro-life citizens who may have had some hestitation in donating to them previously. It seems a prudent move since Planned Parenthood’s clientele tend to be younger than Komen’s target audience.
[15] Posted by ILAnglican on 2-2-2012 at 01:06 PM · [top]
There’s some pretty angry responses at the Komen site from unlimited abortion advocates. And lots of them.
[16] Posted by Theron Walker✙ on 2-2-2012 at 01:50 PM · [top]
There was something on CNN this evening about the outrage expressed by the pro-abortion people. There’s a big outcry about how poor women won’t be able to get breast exams from PP. In my opinion, breast exams (a small part of PP’s services) are useful to PP as a public relations tool to show that they aren’t only about abortion. Mayor Bloomberg of NY (a billiionaire) has said he will donate his own $250,000 to PP for every $250,000 they don’t get from SGK.
[17] Posted by Nellie on 2-2-2012 at 05:22 PM · [top]
Guess we were a bit naive to think that this decision would stand.
[18] Posted by Nellie on 2-3-2012 at 10:49 AM · [top]
Not so fast! Komen has restored the PP grant!
Komsn vs. PP
[19] Posted by old lady on 2-3-2012 at 11:21 AM · [top]
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