The Susan G. Komen Foundation has done so much good over the years in its fight against breast cancer that it is particularly disturbing to learn that they have betrayed women.
Betray is a strong word and I don’t use it lightly, but I think it is appropriate in this case.
To me the pink ribbon now has an X through it.
The Komen Foundation announced it had severed all ties with Planned Parenthood.
Komen had provided support via Planned Parenthood for women to receive healthcare including breast exams and mammograms. The money did not go to support abortions.
Nonetheless, the Komen foundation, in a cowardly move, caved in to pressure from extreme anti-abortion, anti-women’s rights groups to sever its ties with Planned Parenthood entirely.
An LA Times article quotes Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards that Komen provied support for “… about 170,000 of the breast exams and 6,400 mammogram referrals”. At this point it is unclear how the patients who received these tests will in the future continue to be screened for breast cancer.
Thus, the terrible irony here is that Komen’s decision actually puts more women at risk for breast cancer and could even lead to some additional breast cancer deaths.
Karen Handel, a relatively new VP at Komen and a pro-life activist, is credited with driving this decision by Komen.
Not only is this decision wrong and harmful, but it will embolden pro-life activists to target other organizations to pressure them to make bad decisions as well that will cost womens’ lives.
Time to fight back! Get to work! Boycott Komen and fight the anti-women extremists!
The fact of the matter is the money does cover abortions. Not exclusively but it does cover abortions. I am ashamed for the founder to welch on making the right decision to abandon paying for such an evil service. He was a coward to give in to pressure from the pro death losers who think its perfectly ok to slaughter unborn children. I pray the komen foundation go under. Anyone who has a conscience or even a shred of belief in God and who respects life best boycott that organization until it once more gathers the courage to resist evil. Women have rights but slaughtering an unborn child (the majority being because said women can’t keep their legs closed) is not a right. Every living being from the point of conception when the sperm reaches the egg to adulthood has the right to life. No one has a say in that. There has been a documented increase of 80% in abortions for children that have down syndrome. That is sickening! Pray that these people realize the evil they are funding and sever ties with it and seek to use money gathered to actually help protect and preserve life and not to snuff it out!
@ Colin – Where exactly are you getting those figures on Downs Syndrome? Must be the same place you’re getting the brilliant notion that it’s all about a woman keeping her knees together. According to you, they have a 20% chance of coming out and obviously you have a zero chance of getting in.
This episode made me angry at first until I realized I have been deceived by the Susan Komen foundation entirely. Less than half the money they raise goes for research and treatment. The reason I feel so betrayed is that I took them seriously in the first place. They are a big business disguised as a charity like so many other charitable scams. Compensation for the CEO, a prominent Republican supporter was reported last year at over $450,000. A recent new executive is a failed Republican candidate for governor in my state of Georgia, an outspoken opponent of choice in reproductive rights, Karen Handel. The good part is the light that has been shone on the useful work done by Planned Parenthood. In reaction, many people donated to PP today and I hope we will try to remember to keep it up. According to preliminary reports, PP may well replace the annual funding pulled by the Susan Komen admin. within 48 hours. That would be a well deserved message to the Komen foundation.
Roy, I also was taken in by Komen, but hadn’t done my research on where their money goes. In the end, ironically I suspect this will not hurt PP at all and may even help them, but will instead hurt Komen very much.