Komen Fund Should be Above Politics

[kschlag]

I received this from another list serve that I am on - I am shocked!  So many lower-income women rely on Planned Parenthood Centers for their female health care.  I have deleted the parts that ask you to act on this - that is not why I posted this.  I just am so disappointed that an organization that I admired an respected seems to have caved in to politics.  Breast cancer is beyond politics!

Susan G. Komen for the Cure just cut all its funding to Planned Parenthood for breast health screenings, bowing to anti-choice pressure and making breast health care suddenly inaccessible to many women.¹

Planned Parenthood health centers are often the main source of health care for women in under served communities, and they provide 830,000 breast exams every year.² 170,000 of these were funded through Komen, along with 6,400 mammogram referrals.³ Without Komen's funding, many of these women could be unable to get the screenings and early detection of breast cancer that save lives.

It's incredibly disappointing for an organization founded to protect women's health to play politics with real women's lives.

Komen has raised tons of money and awareness about breast cancer from people who care about women's health. 

Komen says this isn't about choice, but it recently changed its funding guidelines to exclude any organization under investigation by Congress, knowing that a baseless investigation into Planned Parenthood had been opened by Republican Representative Cliff Stearns at the request of anti-choice groups.⁴

And Komen has strong links to the anti-choice movement. Its new vice president of public policy, Karen Handel, ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 on an aggressively anti-choice platform, part of which was a pledge to defund Planned Parenthood.⁵

Sources:

1. "Amid abortion debate, Komen cancer charity halting grants to Planned Parenthood," The Washington Post, January 31, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269935&id=35312-582516-IUHQEex&t=4

2. "Protect Women's Health, Protect Planned Parenthood," Planned Parenthood Federation of America, April 12, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269936&id=35312-582516-IUHQEex&t=5

3."Komen breast cancer charity severs ties with Planned Parenthood," The Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269955&id=35312-582516-IUHQEex&t=6

4. "Planned Parenthood Investigation Is An Abuse Of Government Resources, Democrats Charge," Huffington Post, November 27, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269937&id=35312-582516-IUHQEex&t=7

5. "Komen Cuts Planned Parenthood Grants Months After Arrival Of New VP, Who Is Abortion Foe," Huffington Post, January 31, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269938&id=35312-582516-IUHQEex&t=8

[deesam]

 I saw this also in the other post and was amazed at the amount of women who think this is a good thing. think of all the women who depend on this.