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Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Planned Parenthood & A “Tidal Wave”

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Planned Parenthood & A “Tidal Wave”

On Tuesday, January 31, after Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced it was pulling the plug on its funding for Planned Parenthood, a tidal wave of sorts was unleashed on Twitter and Facebook. People were immediately outraged (rightly so) and the comments, rebuttals and tongue lashings started flowing fast and furiously.

In my usual more slow-paced style, I had to mull this one over too. I guess I wouldn’t make a very good news reporter. I’m not a jump-on-the-story immediately kind of “reporter.” I’m more of an opinion page, letter-to-the-editor kind of writer.

I’m not going to rehash the facts of the whole story here. There are lots of good links and I’ve tried to include a few of them if you’re interested in more background.

In a nutshell, Komen’s announcement stated they are pulling funding to Planned Parenthood because they no longer fund organizations being investigated by local, state or federal authorities.

How convenient; talk about putting a nice spin on a statement.

Planned Parenthood is being investigated and it’s no coincidence this investigation was initiated by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), who in turn was being pressured by anti-abortion groups such as Americans United for Life to take on Planned Parenthood. Some such individuals and groups have outwardly stated they wish to see Planned Parenthood dismantled entirely.

This leads me to ask my first question, who is bullying who?

It’s also important to note that many in the conservative camp have been twisting Komen’s arm of late, pressuring Komen to sever ties with Planned Parenthood.

For example, Life Decisions International has put Komen on its “boycott list.” Lifeway Christian Resources, the publishing arm of Southern Baptist Convention, announced a recall of pink Bibles (yes, I said pink) because funds (probably minuscule amounts) made from them were finding their way to Planned Parenthood. (source)

Again, who is bullying who?

Sadly, such bullying seems to be paying off.

Leslie Aun, Komen spokesperson, defends Komen’s action saying such pressure tactics (interesting to note she did indeed call them pressure tactics) were not the reason behind the decision to cut funding. I think she has her work cut out for her trying to convince people on this one.

Perhaps also worth noting, it’s a well-documented fact that Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, has strong ties to the conservative right. In addition, the foundation’s senior vice president of public policy, Karen Handel, has openly proclaimed her pro-life position.

Is all of this coincidental? I don’t think so.

In my opinion, politics don’t or should not matter here. Your opinions on abortion should not matter here. That’s not what this is, or should be about. 

It’s supposed to be about preventing cancer from taking women’s lives. 

Cancer certainly doesn’t care what political party you belong to.

No, what matters here, or what should matter here , is that once again women may suffer. Women who are uninsured or under-insured may suffer the most because a viable option for them to obtain free breast care/cancer guidance may not be as accessible.

Here are a few of questions I’d like to ask Susan G. Komen for the Cure:

  1. Do you genuinely care about the health of all women?
  2. When did caving to political pressure from any source become acceptable for an organization like Komen, the self-proclaimed world leader in the fight against breast cancer?
  3. Unfortunately, I have to ask, is this really about breast cancer, or is it more about pro-choice vs pro-life agendas and possible contributions Komen may or may not receive if they do not pull funds from Planned Parenthood?
  4. Since many women rely on Planned Parenthood for all of their health care needs, do you really want to send the message you don’t care about them? What if they die from an undetected cancer? Don’t their lives matter?
  5. And why the sudden change of heart? Komen has been partnering with Planned Parenthood since 2005. That’s seven years. This “investigation” came to the forefront in 2011. Grants from Komen totaled around $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before, allowing Planned Parenthood to provide breast cancer screenings and other breast-health guidance services to more women in need at 19 of its affiliates.
  6. Shouldn’t this be something Komen is proud of, not halting?
  7. How do you justify eliminating funds to support Planned Parenthood while also proclaiming commitment to your mission?

Getting back to the bullying… let’s see. ..

Some individuals and organizations have been “bullying” congress and have now also successfully succeeded at “bullying” Komen. Congress has in turn been “bullying” Planned Parenthood; Komen is now doing the same.

If you’re a woman who has depended on Planned Parenthood for breast-health care and guidance, I’d say you are being “bullied” most of all.

And lastly, about the tidal wave, Susan G. Komen for the Cure; you may have gone too far this time. You may have just “washed away” more than a few of your supporters. Some of them might even decide to donate to Planned Parenthood instead.

I hope they do.

NOTE:  Since this post was first published, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has reversed its decision to split with Planned Parenthood and has apologized for their action. It’s a good day for women’s health, however there is still much work to be done. Far too many lives are still being lost to breast cancer.

Note: Please feel free to comment, but this is not about abortion, it’s about protecting women from cancer, so I’m hoping all are mindful of the difference. Thank you in advance!

Do you think Komen should pull the plug on its partnership with Planned Parenthood? Why or why not?

Do you think this action to do so is politically motivated?

Are you a supporter of Planned Parenthood? Why or why not?

 

The Accidental Amazon

Sunday 5th of February 2012

Excellent points, all, Nancy. It's remarkable that an organization with so much money and time and staff cannot avoid making so many missteps year after year. I think it's because they just don't get it, because, as others have suggested, they lack a real moral compass about breast cancer and women's health. And without that, they will always lose their way.

Nancy

Sunday 5th of February 2012

Kathi, It is remarkable isn't it? I think this time Komen has really blundered. I feel its reputation has been significantly tarnished. People are noticing these mistakes and taking note. And you're right about the moral compass, Komen does seem to be missing one of late. Thanks for commenting.

Christy

Saturday 4th of February 2012

I'm glad they reversed the Planned Parenthood decision, but I think Komen has lost its way and is now about its leadership and their own careers and power and politics and not about women and breast cancer. At a minimum, it seems that they need some political diversity in the top leadership to ensure that they don't make such foolish politically-motivated decisions in the future.

There are so many worthy organizations, that I'm going to double-down on Dana Farber and ACS and drop Komen for the foreseeable future.

Nancy

Sunday 5th of February 2012

Christy, I agree with you. I, too, think Komen has lost its way and that's really sad because so much potential for good is being lost. I keep hoping they'll come around, but... Thank you for stopping by and commenting even after the reversal. I appreciate "hearing" your thoughts.

Jen

Friday 3rd of February 2012

http://dinoiafamily.typepad.com/the_dinoia_family/2012/02/i-never-thought-id-blog.html

I did a post on the very issue yesterday....

Nancy

Sunday 5th of February 2012

Jen, Thanks for sharing the link.

Wendy

Friday 3rd of February 2012

I'm so over Komen at this point--it's all too little too late. This was such a great and thoughtful post, Nancy!

And Gayle's #occupythecure comment made me grin. I like that.

NAPS FOR EVERYONE!!! <3

Nancy

Sunday 5th of February 2012

Wendy, A lot of people are beginning to agree with you. Naps indeed; the week was tiring wasn't it? Thanks for commenting.

BreastCancerSisterhood.com

Friday 3rd of February 2012

An extremely well-placed person in the breast cancer community told me that Komen won't change until Nancy steps down. When I Twittered that info 2 months ago, including the "well-placed person" moniker, Komen INSTANTLY called that person to complain about my Tweet. Kind of spooky!! In addition to me, Komen had to have been monitoring the other person, or why would they have picked them to call & complain to about me? Surely Komen has better things to do with their time, but then maybe not. Obviously they're too busy defending themselves to really hear the issues.

Nancy

Sunday 5th of February 2012

Brenda, Defending themselves is a tough job and it's going to get even tougher because people are beginning to see the light. Thanks for commenting.