UPDATE: Komen Fund changes their mind, begs forgiveness, will continue to fund PP. That
was fairly short-lived. I wonder if they'll refund the money to all the
pro-life people who donated to Komen in the last 24 hours...
Here's the problem I have with most liberals: If you don't support their pet causes with your money, you're the enemy.
Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns’ probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen’s decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates.
Planned Parenthood has the mission of "saving women's lives"? That's news to me. I thought abortion was kind of...the opposite of that.
“It’s hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women’s lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying,” Richards told The Associated Press. “It’s really hurtful.”
They don't just do abortions. They offer so many services to women, including breast exams, which is what the SGK money was going toward. They do a lot of things that DO save lives!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm not sure that any organization that performs abortions can claim to "save women's lives" as a mission. Planned Parenthood could probably say that they "provide a full range of medical services" and I wouldn't have a problem, but "saving lives" is a bridge too far for me.
ReplyDeleteSecond, it's not like the Komen foundation is going to take the money they are withholding from PP and go buy a bunch of cocaine and hookers. They're probably just going to redirect it to another cancer fund.
Finally, I've seen some discussion about Planned Parenthood doing breast exams, which some people are conflating with mammograms. Obviously, they aren't the same thing.
According to PP's 2010 Annual Report, abortions only make up 3% of the services provided, and the number performed actually decreased from 2009 to 2010. Given that the majority of their services are for preventative healthcare, sex ed, contraception, and general wellness, I'd say they can consider that they are in the business of saving lives, despite performing abortions too. After all, private physicians and hospitals are considered to be in the business of saving lives, yet some perform abortions as well.
DeleteIf Komen wants to pull their funding, that's their choice. It's just the reasons that they've offered, the timing, and the fact that their new SVP of Pubic Policy is known for being extremely anti-choice and against PP that seem a little suspect to me. They should also probably take of the bit on their website about "ensuring quality care for all" as they've just stripped funding from an organization who caters to those who can't afford sexual healthcare otherwise.
"According to Planned Parenthood, its centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants."
ReplyDeleteKomen granted $1.2 million dollars in the past two years.
Komen was providing between $15 and $20 each for less than 5% of the manual breast exams done by PP personnel. Since 70% of their services are for contraception and treating STDs, it's likely that the majority of their patients are under the age of 50 -- the age at which the risk of breast cancer starts to climb by leaps and bounds. (btw, 25% of PP patients are 19 and under.)
Add to that -- only 20% of suspicious lumps found by manual breast exam and then biopsied turn out to be cancerous and most of the lumps found are found by self examination.
So... while PP does provide a lot of good medical services, Komen's contribution to the organization was minimal to begin with (1/10th of a percent of PP's income) and the service it was provided for is not high priority (like a PAP smear would be).
If I were a Komen board member, I would not be in favor of continuing to fund PP breast screenings because it's just not enough bang for the buck.
That, however, is probably not the reason funding stopped. I would not contribute to Komen because too little of what they raise goes to research... for the cure.