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Komen Defunding Cancer Screenings at Planned Parenthood

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Started 3 months ago by Twixlen
Latest reply from misskitty

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Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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I decided this deserved it's own thread. I started the conversation over here - http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/columbus-bishop-forbids-breast-cancer-fundraising#post-415904 - but the title is misleading. Walker, any chance you could get the content moved?

Anyway - the Susan G. Komen Foundation caved to political pressure (and probably a change in thinking, with the leanings of their newish VP), and is ceasing all funding to Planned Parenthood, which helped provide thousands of people with cancer screenings, for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, & testicular cancer.

Here is the statement from Planned Parenthood -

NEW YORK – 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.

“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.

WaPo piece here.

Posted 3 months ago #
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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I'm wondering if this will affect the volume of entrants in the next Race for the Cure. There are a lot of angry people whose lives were saved by Planned Parenthood's services. This defunding may force future patients through the cracks in affordable, preventative care. It might make donors more interested in funding PP directly.

Posted 3 months ago #
SusanB
Hungarian Village, Columbus' fastest growing Gayborhood!
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From the NYT:

all of Planned Parenthood’s affiliates provided around 770,000 women with breast examinations and paid for mammograms and ultrasounds for those who needed and could not afford further diagnostic services.

So what does Komen plan to do to replace that?

Posted 3 months ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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catnfiddle said:
I'm wondering if this will affect the volume of entrants in the next Race for the Cure. There are a lot of angry people whose lives were saved by Planned Parenthood's services. This defunding may force future patients through the cracks in affordable, preventative care. It might make donors more interested in funding PP directly.

I bolded what I am hoping is the ultimate outcome. Komen has exposed themselves as something not-so-grand, and not as actually concerned about women's health as they are about their political klout.

I hope that many people look at this, and decide to fund local cancer groups; and fund Planned Parenthood directly.

Posted 3 months ago #
rus

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http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/who-is-behind-susan-g-komens-split-from-planned-parenthood/252327/

Cutting funds to Planned Parenthood is the result of a newly adopted policy to block grants to organizations currently under investigation by any local, state, or federal authorities, Koman spokeswoman Leslie Aun told the Associated Press. A statement released Tuesday evening added: "While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a long-standing partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission."

The key factor behind Komen's decision, Aun told the Associated Press, is not ongoing protests of Planned Parenthood -- the Alliance Defense Fund was quick to praise Komen "for seeing the contradiction between its lifesaving work and its relationship with an abortionist that has ended millions of lives" -- but an audit launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, chairman of the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, to determine whether public money had been spent on abortions over the last decade.

At first glance it seems like the stated reason is cover for Komen's VP's dislike of abortion.

Posted 3 months ago #
lizless
Columbus/Hocking Hills
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As a longtime supporter, contributor and participant of Race for the Cure in the Short North, our businesses will no longer be participating or supporting Susan G. Komen. Our checks will now go directly to Planned Parenthood or the James sans politics.

Komen spent $700k on breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics last year and spent $1 million on lawsuits against charities that used the words "cure" or "pink." Clearly, their priorities left womens' health long ago. When I contribute to an organization that claims to advocate and fund women's health, I expect them to do so, not further their own politics or marketing agenda.

Posted 3 months ago #
SusanB
Hungarian Village, Columbus' fastest growing Gayborhood!
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As a survivor this makes me very, very sad. I'm torn about participating in the Race for The Cure this year. I'm thinking that I will go, and not register (instead giving the monies to PP). I will certainly send Komen an email or phone call letting them know this as well.

Posted 3 months ago #
bman
New Albany
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People definitely need to speak with their dollars and their feet!

Posted 3 months ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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lizless said:
As a longtime supporter, contributor and participant of Race for the Cure in the Short North, our businesses will no longer be participating or supporting Susan G. Komen. Our checks will now go directly to Planned Parenthood or the James sans politics.

Komen spent $700k on breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics last year and spent $1 million on lawsuits against charities that used the words "cure" or "pink." Clearly, their priorities left womens' health long ago. When I contribute to an organization that claims to advocate and fund women's health, I expect them to do so, not further their own politics or marketing agenda.

Where is my "like" button???

Posted 3 months ago #
Hamsterdam

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Donated to Komen Columbus for the first time today.

Posted 3 months ago #
Hamsterdam

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Before you start weeping over Planned Parenthood, please keep in mind that for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, Planned Parenthood and its affiliates reported receiving $308.2 million in “Private Contributions and Bequests.” PP also made $404.9 million in “Health Center Income.” Planned Parenthood overall reported an “excess of revenue over expenses” of $63.4 million in 2009.

They'll be OK without Komen.

Posted 3 months ago #
BeccaT

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I’d like to take a minute to address this issue and in the spirit of full disclosure – I work for Komen Columbus.

Though Susan G. Komen for the Cure has changed its funding criteria, the change does not affect the Columbus Affiliate’s ability to provide vital breast health services for uninsured and under-served men and women in Central and Southeastern Ohio.   In 2011, thanks to your donations and support, we provided $1.5 million to support local breast cancer education, screening and treatment services in our community. Our commitment has always been and continues to be to support uninsured and under-insured men and women and we will continue to do so through these grantees.

Our Affiliate serves local men and women. Susan G. Komen for the Cure on a national level has recently adopted criteria that bars grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities.

We review our grant programs on an ongoing basis to ensure that we are meeting the highest standards and achieving maximum impact for our donors’ dollars. We have always had safeguards in place to terminate grants to organizations for financial or administrative improprieties, loss of federal or state funding, or changes to their tax-exempt status. Going forward, if we learn that an applicant or its affiliates are under formal investigation for financial or administrative improprieties by local, state or federal authorities, the grant will be terminated and the organization will be ineligible for grants. An organization may regain its eligibility once the investigation is concluded and the organization and its affiliates are cleared of any wrongdoing.

The people we serve are our highest priority in everything we do. Locally we’re making an impact in the fight against breast cancer and providing thousands of men and women with the hope that being faced with a breast cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence.

Posted 3 months ago #
SusanB
Hungarian Village, Columbus' fastest growing Gayborhood!
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Sorry Ms. Thomas, between this and the KFC partnership I am done giving Komen money. It makes me sad but I'll donate directly to the programs I want to support from now on. Again, survivor here but no longer a Komen fan.

Posted 3 months ago #
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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BeccaT, I really thank you for your input. This has be painful.

A lot of us are in a major moral pickle when it comes to how to donate our increasingly tight dollars and hours. Please understand that this recent news has added yet another issue to ponder. If the criteria now bars grants to Planned Parenthood during its (most likely endless) legal issues, do you know which local organizations will now receive those funds? Will their services be as accessible as Planned Parenthood's has been?

Posted 3 months ago #
lizless
Columbus/Hocking Hills
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Sorry, Becca.

As you know, Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of cancer screenings here in Central Ohio for uninsured and low income women.

You also know that the federal "investigation" into Planned Parenthood is a known political sham launched by an anti-choice legislator (Rep. Sterns) looking to tie up funds that go to Planned Parenthood. Rep. Stearns is known for being the most anti-choice legislator in Congress and sponsoring a number of anti-women bills. His so-called 'investigation' is an attack on women. Komen has allowed anti-woman extremists to cut off funding for breast cancer screenings at the largest provider of health care for women in the state.

I hope that Central Ohio women support the James and Planned Parenthood en masse. Our money shouldn't be going towards lawsuits to defend pink marketing efforts anyway.

Posted 3 months ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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Becca -

I also appreciate your comments, and efforts on behalf of the Komen Foundation. It is very unfortunate that those that are in charge of the organization have created a metric that deliberately excludes the ability to fund Planned Parenthood, based on a fiscal witchhunt by Rep Stearns. There is no mistake that political will is behind the investigation, when there has been no clear reason as to why the investigation is taking place - outside of not liking abortions. It is also clear that Komen's senior VP for public policy has only ill will for Planned Parenthood (and has spoken openly about it, in her previous political life) - (from the above mentioned The Atlantic article) -

According to Jezebel's Erin Gloria Ryan, however, the influence of another key player in the Komen organization goes a long way in explaining its decision to defund: Karen Handel, who ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 and lost, despite an endorsement by none other than Sarah Palin, has been Komen's senior vice president for public policy since April 2011. On her campaign blog (fire up the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine because, curiously, these pages don't exist anymore), Handel wrote: "I will be a pro-life governor who will work tirelessly to promote a culture of life in Georgia. ... I believe that each and every unborn child has inherent dignity, that every abortion is a tragedy, and that government has a role, along with the faith community, in encouraging women to choose life in even the most difficult of circumstances. ...since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood."

Handel even "promised to eliminate funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings provided by" Planned Parenthood, according to Jezebel.

Sadly, I vote with my dollars, and I can't vote for someone who's viewpoints are so strangely anti-woman.

Posted 3 months ago #
Roland
Clintonville
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It's sad that political divisiveness permeates the good cause of fighting cancer. A true shame to drive a rail spike into an community of people that came together for cancer, not their pro-life or pro-choice agendas. Of which Komen has obviously now weighed in on.

Posted 3 months ago #
chaptal
West Side
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Cancer does not care if you're pro choice or pro life, or if you've had an abortion.

Posted 3 months ago #
lizless
Columbus/Hocking Hills
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chaptal said:
Cancer does not care if you're pro choice or pro life, or if you've had an abortion.

+1

Posted 3 months ago #
Hamsterdam

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Twixlen and Becca,

I find Twixlen's comment "when there has been no clear reason as to why the investigation is taking place" to be intellectually dishonest.

Facts:

- Planned Parenthood is barred from using federal funds to perform abortions.

- Rep. Stearns is requesting several sets of documents. He asked Planned Parenthood for internal audits for the national organization and its affiliates covering 1998-2010. He asked for documentation showing how federal funding is segregated from abortion services. He asked for policies showing how Planned Parenthood reports cases of potential sexual abuse.

- Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, receives $487 million yearly in federal funding. That's more than $1 million a day in taxpayer funds.

- Today, Planned Parenthood performs nearly double the number of abortions it did in 1999. And over the past 12 years — during which the amount of taxpayer funding Planned Parenthood receives has, coincidentally, also doubled — it has dramatically reduced the other pregnancy-related services it provides. In 2009, Planned Parenthood made referrals for only 997 adoptions, in contrast to the 2,999 referrals it made in 1999. Similarly, Planned Parenthood’s clients for prenatal care dropped from 18,878 to only 7,021.

- Various organizations allege that Planned Parenthood has engaged in illegal and potentially criminal activities. They document multiple instances where Planned Parenthood clinics allegedly covered up sex trafficking and child abuse and misappropriated federal funds for abortions.

Other question:

How many Planned Parenthood facilities even offer mammograms?

Posted 3 months ago #