twogoldstars: thedailywhat: This Is All Kinds...

1st February 2012

thedailywhat:

This Is All Kinds Of Wrong of the Day: After years of partnering with Planned Parenthood to offer low-income patients access to life-saving breast cancer screenings, Susan G. Komen for the Cure — a breast-cancer charity that has been known to sue small charities for using “for the cure” in their names — announced yesterday it would no longer fund those screenings.

The alleged reason? A newly instituted rule at Komen “that prohibits grants to organizations being investigated by local, state or federal authorities.”

While a congressional investigation against Planned Parenthood was launched by Florida Republican Cliff Stearns — a staunchly pro-life politician who called defunding Planned Parenthood a “fiscal and moral priority” — many supporters of Komen are failing to see the connection between abortions and breast-cancer screenings.

However, things get considerably clearer once it becomes known that Komen recently appointed Karen Handel, an “anti-choice” Georgia Republican who promised to defund Planned Parenthood, to serve as its SVP.

Taking Komen’s excuse — which includes the line “we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission” — on its face becomes problematic when considering that all of the money granted to Planned Parenthood by Komen was being used to provide screenings to uninsured or underinsured women.

For the record, “abortion services” make up 3% of total services provided by Planned Parenthood. Cancer screening and prevention? 16%.

How can Komen claim to be acting in the best interest of women when it is actively denying many of them access to life-saving breast-cancer screenings that can’t get anywhere else? That’s what many on Komen’s Facebook page and message board would like to know.

They have been leaving angry messages denouncing Komen’s action since the news broke. Many are putting their pocketbook where their fingers are and donating money to Planned Parenthood that would have gone to Komen.

Over the past 24 hours Planned Parenthood has raised “hundreds of thousands” of dollars, and may have already surpassed the amount it would have received from Komen.

[photo: metro.]

See Also: Give Komen the Pink Slip: Five Ways to Support Women’s Health for All.

My roommate interns at Planned Parenthood and was telling me about the outpouring of support they’re getting from other patrons (on a small, donor-to-donor basis) just because Komen are being illogical assholes.

My response to this whole thing was to yell a lot and be really righteously indignant.

But yeah, planned Parenthood supporters are the best!