Susan G Komen For the Cure will no longer fund grants to Planned Parenthood for initiatives to support breast cancer awareness and screenings for poor women.
Here is a video of Nancy Brinker from Susan G Komen explaining their decision. Without further information you might be inclined to understand her point of view.
I read Katha Pollit at The Nation magazine and discover Susan G Komen For the Cure has, in the past few years, hired Karen Handel as Senior Vice President of Public Policy. According to the article, Karen Handel is 'staunchly and unequivocally' pro-life. Also, the rationale for withholding funding (a bogus hearing about how Planned Parenthood separates federal funds from other funds and how it doesn't use federal funds to provide abortions) sounds flimsy.
While Nancy Brinker would like me to think their decision is not about influence from pro-life groups, I think the circumstantial evidence proves otherwise - for me, anyway.
It's sad when women don't support each other. Divide and Conquer is a winning strategy.
I haven't been a financial supporter of either of these groups in the past (though I did participate in my first Walk for the Cure last summer in support of my friend); Susan G Komen won't miss the money I'm not going to donate. They will, however, miss the goodwill I had toward them.
Today I made my first donation to Planned Parenthood. They've been in the trenches for years, and my financial support is long overdue.
UPDATE 2/3/2012 - Susan G Komen reverses their decision.
Frankly, if you watch this video from last night where Nancy Brinker was still defending her position, it just doesn't feel right. I don't trust that SGK has a true change of heart. Maybe this will be a blip to long time supporters. I'll remember (but, as I mentioned earlier - I didn't participate or donate much anyway).
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