“Alarmed and Saddened” by Komen Foundation Succumbing to Political Pressure, Planned Parenthood Launches Fund for Breast Cancer Services →

My sister-in-law died of breast cancer at the age of 33. In the last years of her life, as she bravely fought the disease, she came in contact with multiple groups claiming to be about saving the lives of breast cancer patients. Many were exactly about that and some were critical and extremely important to her in the last months of her life.

But she always said that Komen wasn’t genuine, that they were about their own name more than the cancer or the people it affected. I never knew how to process that and she didn’t ever really elaborate. It was something about how much of their fundraising went back into the foundation instead of into research to actually find a cure.

Certainly this isn’t true on the local level or across the company at large. I’m sure there are plenty of people who work for Komen, donate their time to Komen, etc. who do it for all the right reasons.

But as an organization, they fucking suck and they will never receive one more ounce of my support or my money. If you want a place to donate, PLANNED PARENTHOOD would be one. Another good one is the BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION.

This is INCREDIBLY personal to me. My heart HURTS over this decision by Komen. I’m visibly shaken and my emotions are all over the place right now. 

Shame on you, Komen. Shame. on. you.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America today expressed deep disappointment in response to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation’s decision to stop funding breast cancer prevention, screenings and education at Planned Parenthood health centers. Anti-choice groups in America have repeatedly threatened the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for partnering with Planned Parenthood to provide these lifesaving cancer screenings and news articles suggest that the Komen Foundation ultimately succumbed to these pressures.

In the last few weeks, the Komen Foundation has begun notifying local Planned Parenthood programs that their breast cancer initiatives will not be eligible for new grants (beyond existing agreements or plans). The Komen Foundation’s leadership did not respond to Planned Parenthood requests to meet with the Komen Board of Directors about the decision.

To ensure that the Komen Foundation’s decision doesn’t jeopardize any woman’s access to lifesaving screenings and services, Planned Parenthood has launched a Breast Health Emergency Fund. The fund will offset the support that 19 local Planned Parenthood programs stand to lose from Komen. The Komen-funded Planned Parenthood programs have helped thousands of women in rural and underserved communities get breast health education, screenings, and referrals for mammograms.

Over the past five years, Planned Parenthood health centers with Komen program funding have provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams out of the more than four million clinical breast exams performed nationwide at Planned Parenthood health centers, as well as more than 6,400 mammogram referrals out of 70,000 mammogram referrals. Anti-choice groups in America have repeatedly threatened the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for partnering with Planned Parenthood to provide these lifesaving cancer screenings.

Planned Parenthood’s quality, accessibility and affordability make it a leader in identifying breast cancer early when there is the best chance of successful treatment. 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.

Led by a generous $250,000 gift from Amy and Lee Fikes’ foundation, Planned Parenthood has established a Breast Health Emergency Fund to provide immediate funding to ensure that Planned Parenthood health centers can continue to provide breast cancer screenings and care that had previously been supported by Komen.

[As someone who lives with a man who has to get regular screenings for breast cancer, there are obviously more people just those who identify as “women” who need and want access to breast cancer screenings.]

3 weeks ago  /  150 notes  /