Boy, was this a dumb move. The shitstorm’s only just begun:
NEW YORK — The nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates — creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.
The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.
Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.
The rupture, which has not been publicly announced as it unfolded, is wrenching for some of those who’ve learned about it and admire both organizations.
“We’re kind of reeling,” said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia — recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen — and whose wife, Betsi, is a veteran of several Komen fundraising races and is currently battling breast cancer.
“It sounds almost trite, going through this with Betsi, but cancer doesn’t care if you’re pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative,” Hurd said. “Victims of cancer could care less about people’s politics.”
I’ve hated those pink ribbons on just about everything, so now I have a fine and honorable reason to boycott the whole Kamen thing.
I seem to recall that there’s a lot of the donation money which goes more to the foundation than to research or assistance to those needing care.
Anyone recall what? Or am I misremembering or just imagining?
i’ve been sharing the news with my friends who are breast cancer survivors. when they learn that the grants paid for breast cancer screenings, and had nothing to do with abortion at all, they are not pleased.
I don’t give a shit what an organization/person does or does not do with my donations. If you give a gift from your heart,then don’t follow it, or begrudge those you gave it to—- you’ll go totally insane if you do. Someone once said, “The Gift Really Goes To The Giver”.