Friday, February 3, 2012

They Reversed, Except they Really Didn't

OK it's been all over the media today that Susan G. Komen "reversed" it's position regarding funding of Planned Parenthood.

Except they really didn't.   If you read the fine print, you'll see that they only said that Planned Parenthood is "eligible" for future grants, not that they'll actually get them. 

It's also interesting that SGK is supposed to be for finding a cure but only if that cure is in accord with right-wing ideals.    Turns out that SGK has been cutting off funding for research facilities that engage in stem cell research, even if the research they were originally funding wasn't using stem cells.   In other words, a research facility could lose it's SGK funding if it engaged in ANY stem cell research (say for Diabetes).

I'm sorry about getting political and going off topic on this (but IT IS my blog, so, in a sense, I get to do what I want), but this is  an issue that matters to me.

Yesterday I made a donation to Planned Parenthood, but today I realized it wasn't enough.    So today I set up monthly contributions to both Planned Parenthood and NARAL--an organization which lobbies for women's reproductive rights.

If an anti-choice zealot like Karen Handel can weasel her way into the largest, most prestigious (until this week), breast cancer organization in the country then we have something to worry about.   

I realized I can not just sit back and just express frustration at the continued assaults from zealots on Planned Parenthood and women's reproductive freedoms.   My monthly donations are small, but it's a start in confronting the problem.




  

3 comments:

  1. Having lost 2 people I care about to Breast Cancer I was disgusted with SGK. The fact that they didn't seem to care about the women who went to PP for help.

    I wonder how all these people who were ok with SGK taking away the grant would feel if they were in the position of the women who depended on PP or if a loved one was in that position.

    I will never look at the SGK Foundation the same ever again.

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  2. Just catching up with all of the Komen drama - and honestly, I have to say that the whole pink ribbon thing has irritated me for years - and now, I'm not surprised that they've become this all-powerful entity. Glad the truth is coming out and I really hope other organizations benefit because of this.

    P.S. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer last year, I had more than one acquaintance ask me what color ribbon represented her form of cancer. REALLY??? Who the f*ck cares???

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