S.G.Komen for Cure caves to Right wingers - no grants For PP

[countressrascal]

I always do the 3 day walk for them, last year I raised little over $5,000, guess what this year I am not going to walk nor give them any money. Redirected to Plan Parenthood, I also give to them.

No more pink ribbons for me.

[NurseNell]

I always do the 3 day walk for them, last year I raised little over $5,000, guess what this year I am not going to walk nor give them any money. Redirected to Plan Parenthood, I also give to them.

No more pink ribbons for me.

Good for you. I think this move is really going to backfire on SGK. I hope they get more publicity about their business practices and how they really aren't there for women and men with breast cancer.

[DistantStar]

If I had any spare cash at the moment it'd be going straight to PP -- I've used their services for (gasp!) exams and (double gasp!) birth control, in the past. Great folks. Love them. I hope they make out like the proverbial bandits from this. Ha, right-wingers! Not only rich white women need to get basic health care!

[demgirl]

I think Jezebel did a nice round-up of the problems with Komen. http://jezebel.com/5881401/how-the-susa ... st-its-way

[ceg045]

At least I won't have to run in the humidity of a St. Louis summer at this year's Race for the Cure.

[Patsy]

I adore this board's awareness about Susan G Komen and the think pink! mindset. Anything related to pink commercialisation of cancer, and five posts with new info I didn't know are pretty much guaranteed.

[thoughtful]

For anyone interested in signing:

https://secure.ppaction.org/site/SPageS ... 96.app214a

[prairiemuffin]

This is a very well written piece as well:

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2 ... thood-cl-0

[GeoBQn]

The Union of Reform Judaism has made a statement expressing their disappointment with the decision. From the letter to Brinker:

Komen for the Cure has helped hundreds of thousands of women in the fight against breast cancer, and has educated millions, bringing the once taboo and closeted subject of breast cancer into the public domain. Indeed, the global impact that you and Komen for the Cure have had was precisely why we were so pleased to bestow upon you the Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award at our recent Biennial convention. And this is why we are so deeply disappointed by Komen’s decision to cease funding mammograms provided by PPFA in the face of a politically-motivated investigation unrelated to PPFA’s breast cancer screenings for vulnerable women.

[. . .]

Upon accepting the Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award, you told the story of two women, one Palestinian and one Israeli, marching together to combat breast cancer in the first Race for the Cure in Israel. You explained with admiration that, in the course of the walk, they were able to forget the political climate that divided them and they bonded instead over the common cause of women’s health. We now urge Komen to follow their example by rejecting efforts to sow division among women’s health advocates and providers and refusing to sacrifice the lives of women on the altar of political ideology.

http://blogs.rj.org/rac/2012/02/01/refo ... arenthood/

[MerryHappy]

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/31/146160911 ... hood?sc=tw

:(

The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates — creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.

The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.

Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.

The rupture, which has not been publicly announced as it unfolded, is wrenching for some of those who've learned about it and admire both organizations.

"We're kind of reeling," said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia — recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen — and whose wife, Betsi, is a veteran of several Komen fundraising races and is currently battling breast cancer.

"It sounds almost trite, going through this with Betsi, but cancer doesn't care if you're pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative," Hurd said. "Victims of cancer could care less about people's politics."

Planned Parenthood said the Komen grants totaled roughly $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before, going to at least 19 of its affiliates for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services.

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity's newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it's the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns' probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen's decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates.

"It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying," Richards told The Associated Press. "It's really hurtful."

Planned Parenthood has been a perennial target of protests, boycotts and funding cutoffs because of its role as the largest provider of abortions in the United States. Its nearly 800 health centers nationwide provide an array of other services, including birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screening.

According to Planned Parenthood, its centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants.

Komen, founded in 1982, has invested more than $1.9 billion since then in breast-cancer research, health services and advocacy. Its Race for the Cure fundraising events have become a global phenomenon.

For all its mainstream popularity, however, Komen has been a target of anti-abortion groups since it began its partnerships with Planned Parenthood in 2005.

Life Decisions International includes Komen on its "boycott list" of companies and organizations that support or collaborate with Planned Parenthood. In December, Lifeway Christian Resources, the publishing division of the Southern Baptist Convention, announced a recall of pink Bibles it had sold because some of the money generated for Komen was being routed to Planned Parenthood.

Aun, the Komen spokeswoman, said such pressure tactics were not the reason for the funding cutoff and cited Stearns' House investigation as a key factor.

That investigation, which has no set timetable, was launched in September when Stearns asked Planned Parenthood for more than a decade's worth of documents.

Stearns, in a statement emailed to the AP on Monday, said he is still working with Planned Parenthood on getting the requested documents. He said he is looking into possible violations of state and local reporting requirements, as well as allegations of financial abuse, and would consider holding a hearing depending on what he learns.

Many of the allegations were outlined in a report presented to Stearns last year by Americans United for Life, a national anti-abortion group, which urged him to investigate.

Democrats and Planned Parenthood supporters have assailed the probe as an unwarranted political ploy.

Komen, while not publicly announcing its decision to halt the grants, has conveyed the news to its 100-plus U.S. affiliates. Richards said she was informed via a phone call from Komen's president, Elizabeth Thompson, in December.

"It was incredibly surprising," Richards said. "It wasn't even a conversation — it was an announcement."

Richards subsequently sent a letter to Komen's top leaders — CEO Nancy Brinker and board chairman Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. — requesting a meeting with the board and asserting that Komen had misrepresented Planned Parenthood's funding-eligibility status in some states.

According to Planned Parenthood, the Komen leaders replied to Richards with a brief letter ignoring the request for a meeting, defending the new grant criteria, and adding, "We understand the disappointment of any organization that is affected by these policy and strategy updates."

Aun, in a telephone interview, said Komen was not accusing Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing.

"We want to maintain a positive relationship with them," she said. "We're not making any judgment."

Richards said Planned Parenthood is intent on raising funds quickly to replace the lost grants so that women in need do not go without breast-screening services. Already, the family foundation of Dallas oilman/philanthropist Lee Fikes and his wife, Amy, has donated $250,000 for this purpose, Planned Parenthood said.

The Komen decision was perplexing to Dottie Lamm, a Denver newspaper columnist and breast cancer survivor. She has done fundraising for Planned Parenthood, participated in several Races for the Cure, and serves on an honorary advisory council for the local Komen affiliate.

"It really makes me sad," said Lamm, wife of former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm. "I kind of suspect there's a political agenda that got to Komen ... I hope it can be worked out."

Stephanie Kight, a vice president with Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, said her affiliate in Southern California received a Komen grant for 2011 and was able to obtain an additional grant of $120,000 for 2012 by signing the deal with its local Komen counterpart just before Komen's new criteria took effect. Under the criteria, no further grants will be allowed unless the pending House inquiry is resolved in Planned Parenthood's favor.

Kight said her conversations with local Komen leaders indicated there was a shared sense of frustration over the national Komen decision.

"One of the things these organizations share is the trust of women across the United States," Kight said. "That's what we're concerned about not losing the trust of these women, who turn to both of us at their most difficult moments."

[CanadianHippie]

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7319

[MerryHappy]

Oh. My bad!

[CanadianHippie]

No problem. You aren't the first and wont be the last, plus it was on the second page. :)

[MerryHappy]

Does PP actually do mammograms in their clinics?

There are people on FB claiming that they do not offer mammograms at their clinics.

[Rosa]

I always do the 3 day walk for them, last year I raised little over $5,000, guess what this year I am not going to walk nor give them any money. Redirected to Plan Parenthood, I also give to them.

No more pink ribbons for me.

I think they underestimated the power of the internet to get everyone this information - a friend of mine just canceled her 3 day walk, too.

If you can, send them an email/note about why you quit - there's still a chance they'll reverse their decision.

[GeoBQn]

Does PP actually do mammograms in their clinics?

There are people on FB claiming that they do not offer mammograms at their clinics.

They don't perform mammograms in their facilities, but they do breast exams and offer referrals for mammograms if there is a need. They used the Komen funds to help low-income women pay for those mammograms.

[MerryHappy]

Thanks for the info.

[cindyluvs24]

i personally never liked the whole "pink/cute" thing since any cancer sucks and why should I be more "aware" of breast cancer than lung or colorectal cancer. ( of course, construction workers never whistled and yelled "nice sigmoid colon and diverticulum, baby!") But that's just me.

[prairiemuffin]

Here's some heartening news:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... story.html

"Donors reacting to the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood contributed $650,000 in 24 hours, nearly enough to replace last year’s Komen funding, Planned Parenthood executives said Wednesday."

Fuck Susan G Komen. They are all about their precious brand, and not much more. Their whole platform of finding a cure is laughable, especially if you look at their allocation of donated funds. And any foundation that goes after and SHUTS DOWN planned fundraising events because they used the words "for the cure" can fuck right off.

[ems]

Fuck. that. shit.

We've turned positive thinking into an idol in every other facet of life, too, somehow I'm supposed to "think positive" about being unemployed, paying outrageous tuition at a university 4.5 hours from home and the possibility of going back to a hometown I'd rather nuke into plate glass than return to. And everyone's supposed to think positive about car accidents, wildfires, various other medical emergencies, crime, etc. because it's all "just a blessing in disguise." What-fucking-ever.

As someone in a pretty similar boat to you, being unemployed and racking up a shitload of graduate school debt, amen.

OT, but I remember another thread talking about a fundie who was against breast cancer campaigns like "Save the Ta-tas" because, oh noes!, if we talk about breasts some poor fundie man might fall into lust. I have mixed feelings about those type of campaigns, though. Obviously they are trying to be deliberately provocative, but they also "cutesify" breast cancer, like, let's bring awareness to it because talking about boobies is fun! Never mind that cancer of any type is not so fun.

I think if you want a slogan that is slangy and racy/provocative, "Cancer is a bitch" works better.

Back on topic: what part of "only 3% of PP funding/services (not sure which, but ykwim) are for abortion" do people not understand?? It's so frustrating to see all the Planned Parenthood mythology slipping into mainstream thought. I expect the fundies discussed here to see things in black and white, but I know a few Catholics who are conservative pro-lifers but not FJ-type fundie, and yet they still buy all the myths...these are educated and intelligent people, but they still see PP as nothing more than a (racist) abortion mill. :? And yeah, I first saw the S.G. Komen news posted on fb as a yay, go them. :(

[ems]

I dont think this was a pro life move at all. It was a business move and a way to save some $$$. SGK doesnt give a flying fuck about low income women as they do not contribute to the bottom line. This was a convenient escape hatch.

This.

[NurseNell]

This.

I think so too although I did read that several members of SGK, including the sister who started the organization, are anti-abortion and Republican.

I've also seen the figure $700,000 was given by SGK to PP last year. That really isn't very much money for 50 states. And it doesn't go very far in screening large numbers of women, and the rare male with breast cancer.

I'm hoping all this publicity will force people to look more closely at SGK and just say no to them.

[Alecto]

Does PP actually do mammograms in their clinics?

There are people on FB claiming that they do not offer mammograms at their clinics.

I know our local one brings in the mammogram van, since they don't have the facilities locally.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health ... -21195.htm

[galaxygirl]

Mayor Bloomberg of NYC to donate $250,000 to PP.

[GolightlyGrrl]

Mayor Bloomberg of NYC to donate $250,000 to PP.

:clap:

I've always looked at the Susan B. Komen foundation with a skeptical eye. They seemed more like marketing/branding group rather than a real charity. Plus, they seemed skewed towards upper-middle class white women. I think someone is better off donating to the American Cancer Society or some other notable charity.

And yes, enough with the pink! I always cringe when October comes by and pink is everywhere. It seems to trivialize breast cancer as something cute. There is nothing cute about cancer.