Komen for the Cure: Out of their Fracking Minds?

Going back to when Susan G. Komen for the Cure made the phenomenally silly choice to get political regarding support for Planned Parenthood, which provides valuable health resources to the underserved, I've been pretty skeptical about what that organization is all about. Merely painting things pink and "raising awareness" only does so much good, and can even be harmful by trivializing advocacy down to "showing one's colors".

Which is pretty much how I feel about these lovely pink drillbits sported by Baker Hughes, an oil company that is displaying its support of breast cancer-ish positive vibes by sporting the color we've come to associate with titties.

The fossil fuel industry and the cure? Whatever. The fossil fuel industry and prevention? Well, the jury is kind of out on that one. But yeah, there is a reasonable concern about chemicals used by the industry and their impact on health--most likely including breast health.

This really isn't the first time Komen has loaned its pretty pink pose in exchange for a likely good-sized donation. But seriously, should fundraising and awareness-raising be ends unto themselves? Why not take into account that pollution from burning fossil fuels are very likely carcinogenic and sometimes even say "No" to things like this?  It might do far more good to make this planet a less cancer-causing place to live.

Nearer My Womb To Thee: Blog Against Theocracy 2012

I don't think there was any question in my mind that when I sat down (like, a half-dozen times over this weekend) to write my Blog Against Theocracy entry this year, I'd be writing about the fake War on Religion vs. the very real War on Women that has been raging across the political spectrum lately; my only problem has been--where to begin?

The thing of it is, I wrote about the theocrats' attacks on reproductive freedom and particularly the pious frauds against Planned Parenthood last year--if anything, the pious frauds sitting in Congress did us one better at being theocratically-inclined recently, by holding a panel on women's health care that included not one woman, nor one doctor, but a panel of religious clerics. Because nobody knows the trouble wombs have seen like a bunch of men taking cues from the B-I-B-L-E instead of Grey's Anatomy, let alone Our Bodies, Ourselves.

If anything, these hyper-religious schmucks have been too much with us, late and soon. They were behind the Komen for the Cure debacle, with the fundamentally pro-life Karen Handel's decision to privilege the conscience of pro-lifer donors over the needs of low-income women who relied on Planned Parenthood for early-detection screenings for breast health. They've been behind the disgustingly intimate and invasive trans-vaginal ultrasound bills, as well as the arbitrary and unscientific heartbeat and fetal pain bills. Time and again, religious leanings have tried or even trumped facts and reason where women's health has been concerned.

This naturally alarms me to no end. There's an axiom that goes, "My fist's rights end where your nose begins". Well, why should anyone suppose that they have rights for their fist or face or any other interest that intersects my uterus?

I say: "No" to all of that. "No" to your concern--"No" to your god that dictates your concern. "No" on behalf of any other woman or female-bodied person who needs someone to say "No" for them. No woman is obliged to believe in ensoulment at conception. No woman should be bullied and made to feel ashamed for her fertility. No woman should be called a "slut" because she is a human female-bodied person who engages in intercourse. My stand against theocracy is to state the "No" for any woman who ever needs it said. NO. Our bodies belong to us. We are our bodies plus the will that says "yes or no"--and so many of us say "No".  The government has no dominion--and a theocratic one still less. "No--we will choose when to have our children".  "No--we will decide how they are taught." "No--those lessons need not have religion guiding them."

Religion--any religion, has no right over my life or my body that I did not give it. For that reason, I want it to be separate from my government. For all time.

Lessons Not Learned--Handel's Hallelujah Chorus

I wanted to review some comments of one Karen Handel, the wingnut warrior alleged to be the driver of the bus she was eventually thrown under in the whole Susan G. Komen dumping Planned Parenthood debacle. She recently had a friendly interview with CBN, that got picked-up by somewhat less-friendly Rawstory.

Here's stuff she actually said:

“And lets remember Komen is a breast cancer organization,” Handel continued. “We’re not involved in politics or this type of guerrilla grassroots campaigning that Planned Parenthood unleashed on us. All for, not the sake of women’s health, but for the sake of politics and their political agenda, which should make all of us very, very concerned. 

“This was nothing sort of a shake down,” she said. “To watch what played out, and somehow an organization like Planned Parenthood to be held up as sort of the face of the women’s movement was stunning to me. There is clearly a real bias around this, that somehow the right to an abortion equals women’s rights, and I reject that. It is outrageous, absolutely outrageous. 

Handel ran in the Republican primary for Georgia governor in 2010, but lost in a tightly contested runoff to Nathan Deal. Part of her political platform was ensuring no taxpayer funds were used by Planned Parenthood.

So, politics wasn't involved until Handel got involved, with a previous agenda to defund Planned Parenthood,  and once Komen announced that the partnership was ended, a grassroots effort (which means, a "bottom-up" effort--not orchestrated by PP, even if they put up a petition or donation widget on their site--like dur, who wouldn't? But no--they did not orchestrate the response nor did they attack or politicize--)

Actually, the Komen decision politicized breast care eligibility by judging the women who sought exams or referrals from PP as "less-than" because PP services low-income people and also offers abortion services in the first place. Planned Parenthood was one avenue for low income women to get early detection--which could lead to early necessary cancer care. Breast cancer survivors are intimately cognizant of the importance of early detection and treatment. They often do know of someone whose cancer was not diagnosed early enough due to poor access, and they have every reason to be pissed without any influence from PP.

I appreciate that Karen Handel wants creative control over the songs that are sung for her in Wingnut Valhalla, but it is still too soon--we still know what her role was and how Komen failed as a result of her urging.

She disrupted, badly.

Girl Scout Cookies and Tequila

Today I bought a couple boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a girl of about ten and her dad who were stationed outside of my bank. I hadn't bought any Girl Scout cookies in the longest time, and I was never a Scout myself,  but lately I've felt a real strong need to support them, because they seem to be the target of some pretty weird attention from the right wing, if this story is any indication:

"This past week I was asked to sign a House Resolution recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts of America," Morris writes in the letter. "After talking to some well-informed constituents, I did a small amount of web-based research, and what I found is disturbing." 

Morris goes on to explain how the Girl Scouts is "quickly becoming a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood" and makes girls "more receptive to the pro-abortion agenda." Morris also accuses the Girl Scouts of promoting "homosexual lifestyles" and preventing girls from praying or singing Christmas Carols.

Furthermore, according to Morris, 47 of the 50 role models listed in the Girl Scouts education seminar are "feminists, lesbians, or Communists." 

Unfortunately Morris apparently doesn't know what most Girl Scout-aged children do: that not everything you read on the internet is true.

Of course, State Rep. Morris is way off base.  But it seems to me that his purported "small amount of web-based research" brought back nasty associations because some people are just that eager to bring down anything associated, however loosely, with feminism. The Girl Scouts, for example, have been open to accepting transgirls.  (That someone would boycott Girl Scout cookies because they are--heavens help us!--tolerant, just makes me wish I had the money to buy all the cookies.) It's no suprise to me that Girl Scouts have been hung up with an association with Planned Parenthood, since that is the feminist Demon of the Day for some far-righties. After the Komen debacle, I'm pretty sure that many orgs will have to disavow association with PP, even if they don't have one. Which is really sad, since Planned Parenthood is an organization committed to health and choice in making healthy families. And I just don't see why they should be demonized in the first place--let alone any other organization for working with them--is human sexuality and health so scary?

So I got my peanut butter-chocolate coated things, and gave my parents a box, since I try not to eat so much sugar or grains, although I did eat a few cookies and was pleased to note they are tasty as ever. But I also bought a bottle of tequila today because reading about and writing about the bigotry against women that even smears an organization that teaches self-reliance to little girls makes me terribly sad inside.  Can't girls have nice things, without that kind of judgment being cast on them? And what kind of judgment will all our girls face further down the road, as young women, so long as such nonsense has credence?

I'm for nice things for girls--like the ability to chose who they are going to be, whether to pursue higher education, jobs, make a family.  That is, as a feminist, what I stand for: every girl's right to make a life for herself.  I am sworn against anyone who thinks girls shouldn't have that right.  Anyone who wants to misinform about, or talk against,  the rights of all girls, has this grown woman in their face. I stand for their rights to self-determination, health, and security. And I stand for accepting nothing less.

Anti-choicers believe the silliest things--

In utterly silly news from the forced-birth crowd, LA Rep. John Fleming (R-eally Gullible) was caught out actually briefly thinking that a months'old article from the satirical The Onion was an actual real thing in this world. 

But on second thought, this isn't really all that silly. By which I mean--very real anti-choicers believe actual silly stuff about Planned Parenthood and the pro-choice movement all the time. I don't really understand why they do--but let's be straight about this: they totally do.

If we take a look at the Komenamerung saga, it turns out that some of the commenters about this issue and Planned Parenthood altogether believe in two seriously dumb hoax "investigations" from Lila Rose of Live Action.  One has to do with mammograms--which only a couple of PP facilities can do, but which most have to refer out (but which always was stated in PP literature).  The other has to do with a bizarre made-up underage sex-slavery scheme, which existed nowhere but in the odd anti-choice world of folks like Lila Rose. These Lila Rose-eries have been pimped by people like Abby Johnson, herself being kind of a walking anti-choicer stuntwoman.

But let's take a  look at some tangential fictions, even: just recently, an OK State Senator put out a bill to try to stop use of fetuses as food. And even one GOP presidential hopeful is still convinced by the apocryphal link between abortion and breast cancer. It starts to appear that in the culture war, factual statements are the first casualty.  When lies about abortion also involve threats of racial genocide and Social Security insolvency, for example, something has to give.  And what should give is these liars--they should step aside, and let people look at the truth about reproductive health, and in fact, all health care in this society, especially for lower-income people.  And they should look at what PP has really done to reduce abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies.

That is to say, if these people can handle the truth. If someone can gently and slowly explain it to them.

A Brave Response to Susan G. Komen Re: Planned Parenthood--

What Breast Cancer is and is Not.



Ma'am, my every respect. Physical realities aren't tied up in a pretty pink bow. The health of our bodies isn't a political issue, it is a right we all fight for. Our health isn't always pretty, our lives aren't perfect, but regardless of creed, we have a right to fight for them.

Komen Chameleon

Susan G. Komen for the Cure made an announcement that sort of sounded like a reversal today:

We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives. The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.

Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.

Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.

It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics - anyone's politics.
Starting this afternoon, we will have calls with our network and key supporters to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work. We ask for the public's understanding and patience as we gather our Komen affiliates from around the country to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the women and people we serve.

We extend our deepest thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from so many in the past few days and we sincerely hope that these changes will be welcomed by those who have expressed their concern.

Just a couple questions--what are they saying that they are doing differently, now? (Um, not much.) And is it enough? (I have my doubts.) What has transpired in the past few days has been a symphony of spin coming from SGK regarding why the partnership with Planned Parenthood was ending, starting from the originally stated policy of not partnering with institutions that were under investigation, which sounded pretty dodgy once it turned out that many of the institutions they dealt with were under some kind of investigation, to some confusing story about wanting to benefit direct providers of services and yadda yadda yadda-- grant excellence (?).  And now the non-reversal-reversal,  "We're sorry that our political decision to sandbag Planned Parenthood looked as political as it did--hopefully we will we do much better at not looking all political about it when we do something like it in the future."

Not yet known--the futures of the people who decided this was a good plan. The board of SGK needs a nice round of resignations for the sake of good will, I should think. Particularly Karen Handel, who seems to be an especially nasty bit of work.

Also, as for the reputation of SGK, this event has brought to light some criticisms about their methods that weren't very widely heard before.  If they think the fallout is nearly over due to this latest bit of glurge, I would say, "Not hardly."

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.