My mother is pulling her restaurants' support for Komen and is going to be speaking to other owners to drop their support. Instead of "race for the cure" now it's "race away from Komen"
Nationwide, Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses provide nearly 750,000 breast cancer screenings annually, offering risk assessments, breast exams, breast health information and education, and diagnostic and surgical referrals. Over the past five years, Planned Parenthood health centers have conducted nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams with funds from Komen, out of a total of more than four million clinical breast exams performed nationwide by Planned Parenthood clinics. Komen grants also supported more than 6,400 out of 70,000 mammogram referrals made by Planned Parenthood. These are affiliate-to-affiliate grants between Komen and Planned Parenthood sister oganizations at the state level.
An open letter about Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Planned Parenthood in 2009
This year, as in the past, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is being criticized by some for funding a handful of women's health programs run by, or with ties to, Planned Parenthood. I'm writing this letter to explain our position and to correct any misinformation you may have heard about this issue.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure exists for only one reason: to save lives and to end breast cancer forever. In the past 27 years, we've invested more than $1.3 billion to accomplish those goals through research and for programs that educate, screen and treat people in communities all around the world.
Early screening through mammograms and education are critical to end the suffering from this disease: 98 percent of women treated for early stage breast cancer, before it spreads, are alive five years later. The widespread use of mammography and heightened public awareness of breast cancer both contribute to these favorable statistics.
And while Komen Affiliates provide funds to pay for screening, education and treatment programs in dozens of communities, in some areas, the only place that poor, uninsured or under-insured women can receive these services are through programs run by Planned Parenthood.
These facilities serve rural women, poor women, Native American women, women of color, and the un- and under-insured. As part of our financial arrangements, we monitor our grantees twice a year to be sure they are spending the money in line with our agreements, and we are assured that Planned Parenthood uses these funds only for breast health education, screening and treatment programs.
As long as there is a need for health care for these women, we will continue to fund the facilities that meet that need.
Ethicists in the Catholic Church have also examined this issue. One year ago, two Catholic ethicists - Ron Hamel, Ph.D. and Michael Panicola, Ph.D. - examined the moral implications of our funding decision. They concluded that it was morally permissible for the church to be involved with Komen in light of its funding agreements with Planned Parenthood.
"The fact that some Komen affiliates, at times, provide funding to Planned Parenthood specifically and solely for breast health services cannot on the face of it be construed as wrongdoing," the ethicists wrote. "The good that Komen does and the harm that would come to so many women if Komen ceased to exist or ceased to be funded would seem to be a sufficiently proportionate reason" for Catholics to support our funding decisions (emphasis added).
Another piece of misinformation being spread by many who criticize Komen for the Cure for its Planned Parenthood grants is that abortion causes breast cancer. Well conducted research consistently fails to support this claim. We agree with the bulk of scientific evidence - from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard, a rigorous study in Denmark and from Oxford University - that there is no conclusive link between breast cancer and induced abortion or miscarriage.
It is important for women to receive accurate information about risk factors for breast cancer. There are steps a woman can take to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer (for example, maintaining a healthy weight) as well as important steps every woman should take to make sure that, if she does develop breast cancer, it is detected and treated as soon as possible. A complete list of risk factors and screening recommendations can be found on our website www.komen.org.
More detailed information is on our web site at www.komen.org. We invite you to review the documents there, and we thank you again for taking time to investigate our position on this issue.
Eric Winer, M.D. Chief Scientific Advisor Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
--and they say that their current position is not politically motivated?
Sorry, SGK, you can't defend the indefensible. Adopting a no-grant-if-under-investigation standard when our politics are so polarized that most investigations are political rather than substantive simply guarantees that no organization that dares to stand up to the bullies will ever receive a grant. And if you didn't know that your new public policy VP campaigned across Georgia to defund Planned Parenthood, you should fire your entire human resources department (or whoever made the final decision to hire her) for incompetence!
Every time there is a concerted attack on Planned Parenthood, I increase my donation to them. In this case, it won't cost me anything because I'll shift the money that I used to give to Komen. Komen is obviously more interested in politics than in women's health, and I certainly will not give money to right-wing political organizations.
With all the free contraception available to the poor, (except for the case of rape) there is no excuse for anyone to have an unwanted pregnancy. The American taxpayer is becoming less and less comfortable with the killing of innocent babies (some can pretend it is something else, but this is what abortion is). There is no way any tax money should go to abortion. Planned Parenthood has been notorious for promoting abortions over adoption.
Still denying the laws of this country, Rob-- That's the shameful act of a terrorist seeking to undermine the rule of law in this country. Do you support CRIMINAL violence against those providing legal services too?
I posted yesterday that Komen needed to conduct an internal investigation to see who -- on their board or staff -- suggested their new no-grants-if-under-investigation policy. It turns out no investigation is needed. Komen recently hired a right-wing woman who just lost a gubernatorial race; do I need to say that she's a Republican and VERY "conservative"?
Low-income and poor women can get these procedures done elsewhere and don't need to go to Planned Parenthood, especially since they're probably on Medicaid. Local free-clinics, hospitals and other agencies routinely offer services that address women's health.
credibility2, YOU are a LIAR! It's time for the AMERICAN People to step up and say NO to Fascism. Because a Group does NOT agree with the "Party" politically NO Woman in America should be left without the medical care they need NOR should any group in America be force to knuckle under to the American Taliban to provide that same care. It's time to take them OUT and for good. Boycott KOMEN until they give up the Fascism.
I heard on the news tonight that Komen is claiming they're now getting "private donations" as a result of this move.
I think it would be interesting to know how much donations are up from the evangeliban to Komen after this decision, and how much donations are up to PP as a result.
My guess is that PP is going to get a lot more money now than Komen does.
My money's going to Planned Parenthood. They provided contraceptives for me cheaply when I was first married and poor. They continue to provide mammograms to women who could not otherwise afford them.
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This year, as in the past, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is being criticized by some for funding a handful of women's health programs run by, or with ties to, Planned Parenthood. I'm writing this letter to explain our position and to correct any misinformation you may have heard about this issue.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure exists for only one reason: to save lives and to end breast cancer forever. In the past 27 years, we've invested more than $1.3 billion to accomplish those goals through research and for programs that educate, screen and treat people in communities all around the world.
Early screening through mammograms and education are critical to end the suffering from this disease: 98 percent of women treated for early stage breast cancer, before it spreads, are alive five years later. The widespread use of mammography and heightened public awareness of breast cancer both contribute to these favorable statistics.
And while Komen Affiliates provide funds to pay for screening, education and treatment programs in dozens of communities, in some areas, the only place that poor, uninsured or under-insured women can receive these services are through programs run by Planned Parenthood.
These facilities serve rural women, poor women, Native American women, women of color, and the un- and under-insured. As part of our financial arrangements, we monitor our grantees twice a year to be sure they are spending the money in line with our agreements, and we are assured that Planned Parenthood uses these funds only for breast health education, screening and treatment programs.
As long as there is a need for health care for these women, we will continue to fund the facilities that meet that need.
Ethicists in the Catholic Church have also examined this issue. One year ago, two Catholic ethicists - Ron Hamel, Ph.D. and Michael Panicola, Ph.D. - examined the moral implications of our funding decision. They concluded that it was morally permissible for the church to be involved with Komen in light of its funding agreements with Planned Parenthood.
"The fact that some Komen affiliates, at times, provide funding to Planned Parenthood specifically and solely for breast health services cannot on the face of it be construed as wrongdoing," the ethicists wrote. "The good that Komen does and the harm that would come to so many women if Komen ceased to exist or ceased to be funded would seem to be a sufficiently proportionate reason" for Catholics to support our funding decisions (emphasis added).
Another piece of misinformation being spread by many who criticize Komen for the Cure for its Planned Parenthood grants is that abortion causes breast cancer. Well conducted research consistently fails to support this claim. We agree with the bulk of scientific evidence - from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard, a rigorous study in Denmark and from Oxford University - that there is no conclusive link between breast cancer and induced abortion or miscarriage.
It is important for women to receive accurate information about risk factors for breast cancer. There are steps a woman can take to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer (for example, maintaining a healthy weight) as well as important steps every woman should take to make sure that, if she does develop breast cancer, it is detected and treated as soon as possible. A complete list of risk factors and screening recommendations can be found on our website www.komen.org.
More detailed information is on our web site at www.komen.org. We invite you to review the documents there, and we thank you again for taking time to investigate our position on this issue.
Eric Winer, M.D.
Chief Scientific Advisor
Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
--and they say that their current position is not politically motivated?
I think it would be interesting to know how much donations are up from the evangeliban to Komen after this decision, and how much donations are up to PP as a result.
My guess is that PP is going to get a lot more money now than Komen does.