Major Breast Cancer Charity Dumps Planned Parenthood ~ Emerald Quill

Jan 31, 2012

Major Breast Cancer Charity Dumps Planned Parenthood

1/31/2012 Celestine Green No comments

National Journal’s Meghan McCarthy reports that Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, a major breast-cancer charity, has cut off support for Planned Parenthood because of controversy over abortion and the group’s standing as a provider of generalized women’s health services. Planned Parenthood accused Susan G. Komen for the Cure of giving in to political pressure.

“We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure. Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in a statement.

Planned Parenthood has been under attack from conservatives at the state and federal levels. The Republican House has repeatedly tried to strip the organization of federal funding over the past year, and GOP governors have tried to keep state Medicaid dollars away from the organization.

In her report, McCarthy notes that the Komen decision won’t put Planned Parenthood out of business, citing the following information:

The health services group says that the Komen foundation has provided 19 clinics between $500,000 and $700,000 since 2005. That money paid for nearly 170,000 breast examinations out of the 4 million performed at Planned Parenthood clinics. It also covered 6,400 mammogram referrals of the 70,000 total referrals made at clinics.

To make up for the loss, Planned Parenthood has established a “Breast Health Emergency Fund” of $250,000 from the Amy and Lee Fikes Foundation.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation did not return an immediate request for comment made by National Journal. According to the Associated Press, Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said that the charity cut off ties with Planned Parenthood because it is under investigation by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., concerning the possible improper spending of federal funds on abortions.

Planned Parenthood and Democrats on Capitol Hill characterize the Stearns investigation as a political tactic. Conservatives target Planned Parenthood because it supports abortion rights, but the organization points out that its clinics are the only source of health care for many women. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla. requested a series of financial records from Planned Parenthood, while Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif, and Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., sent a strongly worded missive accusing Stearns of an "abuse of the oversight process."

As the mother of a breast cancer survivor, I know that my daughter Kimberly is alive and well today because her annual mammogram identified a problem that led to her seeking treatment. I shudder to think about a scenario where she had not been able to afford a screening and thereby failed to get the early warning that probably saved her life. Personally, I am quite disturbed to know that these two organizations that have worked hand and hand on women's health issues have been separated by politics. It's unfortunate that the Komen Foundation has yielded to political pressure and taken this drastic step. Those women who need Planned Parenthood for health care issues are badly served by this unnecessary divide between the two organizations.