Your pink ribbon swag won't get you into heaven, anymore.

It really disappoints me that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization has decided that concern-trolling about Planned Parenthood is more important than ensuring that many low-income women at risk for breast cancer get the early screening and detection that might make the difference between life and death for them.   The organization, which raises money for and invests in health care research and awareness advocacy to fight breast cancer, has stopped grants to Planned Parenthood for breast-health services.  The reason?  A recently-adopted policy not to do business with organizations that are under investigation.

Likelihood that this policy was adopted because Planned Parenthood is under a politically-motivated investigation brought about by pressure from anti-abortion groups?  Oh, about 100%.  It doesn't hurt that Susan G. Komen for the Cure turns out to be a pretty conservative bunch, but all the same--I'm disappointed.  It just seems to me that if a group is actually concerned with the health of women (or should that be, the female-bodied? Although, come to think of it, male-bodied people get breast cancer, too....), then that group should recognize the importance of patients having access to essential services wherever they can get them.  Planned Parenthood is there for people who might not have insurance or a regular health-care provider. The people who lose out if Planned Parenthood can't provide these services might simply not have other options.  SGK's concern about  Planned Parenthood being under investigation strikes me as being misplaced. 

So, I'm disappointed, but I can't say that I am surprised. Going back to Sen. Jon Kyl's infamous counter factual regarding what Planned Parenthood does, it's clear that the right wingers have the knives out for PP on the basis of 3% of their services, even in the face of all the other things they do, and in complete disregard for the fact that terminating unwanted or disastrous pregnancies is also a health service and the choice of the patients involved, which may be safer for them than childbirth. The anti-abortion side of the debate has a history of prevarication regarding the subject of pregnancy and abortion, including lying about the risk of depression and, yes, even the risk of breast cancer from abortion. To me, that kind of lie is a breach of trust that really makes me wonder if those people care about life--or are rather more concerned about controlling other people, since they are imperilling the life of the pregnant individuals they are counseling with, frankly, bullshit.

So, to sum up, I think this was a bullshit move on Susan G. Komen for the Cure's part. Already, there has been an increase of donations to Planned Parenthood by people who do care about Planned Parenthood's ability to provide their services to people who need them, and some people will be ending their donations to SGK and boycotting all that pink ribbon swag jazz, about 25% of the proceeds of which goes to the salaries of the trolls who made this decision. I'd say this is a better use of their money.  Also, this definitely serves as a reminder for people to consider very closely the causes they support--not because they might be under some investigation, but because they might be run by people who don't put the mission first. Planned Parenthood does that.   SGK just fell a little short.


As an addendum--some people who are giving to Planned Parenthood are chosing to make an honorary gift so that a card will be given to the recipient of one's chosing.  In that way, one might make it out to the heads of SGK to let them understand that their move was pretty wrong-headed.  Via Juanita Jean, you might want to honor:

Karen Handel
Senior VP of Fail
c/o Susan G. Komen Foundation
P.O. Box 650309
Dallas, TX 75265-0309


Forwarding a coat hanger on one's own is of course, optional. I'm more of a sternly-worded e-mail gal, myself.