Susan G. Komen Foundation: Still Racing for the Cure, Just Not for All Women

Feb 01, 2012 12 Comments by Livication

I’ll admit that I’ve not always been a huge fan of the Komen for the Cure foundation. Through the years, we’ve had a rocky relationship; I even tried to be patient with the latent misogyny in the entire “Save the TaTas” campaign because I hoped that in making their message more appealing to young people in men, they were doing good things. I acquiesced after watching my grandmother die a very slow, painful death due to breast cancer. And then, I saw yesterday that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has decided to withdraw any and all contributions to Planned Parenthood as a result of anti-choice bullying and political pressure.

I wonder if people realize the breakdown of the services that Planned Parenthood actually provide. It seems to me that Planned Parenthood gets such a poor rap from ev’rybody-n-they-mama for abortions and what not but the majority of their services are preventative measures to ensure that women’s (and men’s too!) reproductive health needs are assessed appropriately. Planned Parenthood released a statement addressing their disappointment with the Komen Foundation succumbing to the pressure of the far Right, and the statement also included information about the very positive benefits of the former partnership:

Over the past five years, Planned Parenthood health centers with Komen program funding have provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams out of the more than four million clinical breast exams performed nationwide at Planned Parenthood health centers, as well as more than 6,400 mammogram referrals out of 70,000 mammogram referrals. 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.

Planned Parenthood’s quality, accessibility and affordability make it a leader in identifying breast cancer early when there is the best chance of successful treatment. Nationwide, Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses provide nearly 750,000 breast cancer screenings annually, offering risk assessments, breast exams, breast health information and education, and diagnostic and surgical referrals.

Of course the Komen Foundation may get some money or support from some people or groups of people who do not support women’s rights. Breast cancer and women’s rights aren’t necessarily grouped in one, you know; in fact, as stated above, my opinion of Komen and their TaTas et aliae is that the organization has benefited in latent objectification of women cancer patients – even if for a good cause. People often think that because a person or group does good for one group of people, who may be disenfranchised in some way, the person or group cannot participate in acts that are detrimental to the group.

The outrage with the Komen Foundation’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood (who has taken a financial beating from all over the place, beginning with Congress) boils down to inequities in preventative healthcare. Planned Parenthood provides a number of resources to people who are uninsured or under-insured, and with their funds being eliminated daily, many women living in poverty are not able to receive services that are necessary. In 2008, 17% of the organizations resources were devoted to cancer screening and prevention. That may not seem like a large number percentage wise, but if you look at the numbers, you may be able to realize how substantial an effect defunding Planned Parenthood’s ability to provide cancer pre-screenings will affect individual women.

For the record, women are “poorer” than men in all ethnicities; however, Black women, followed Latinas are more likely to be in poverty in the United States. Black women are most likely of all women to die of breast cancer, even though they have a slightly lower incidence rate of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death among Black women. Even the Circle of Promise website, who is a project of the Komen Foundation specifically geared toward Black women, cites that the higher mortality rate in Black women may be the result of, “differences in access to and utilization of early detection and treatment.” I don’t know the ethnicities or socioeconomic background of the women (and men!) who access Planned Parenthood’s resources; I am going with the assumption that since they do not require that you have insurance, the majority of their patients do not have insurance and, as such, do not have the means for private healthcare. Caving to the pressures of the anti-choice movement wages a war on women’s bodies, poor women, and women of color.

That aside, I think that the Komen Foundation’s dissolution to its long term partnership with Planned Parenthood is foolish on a fundamental level because cancer research and contraceptive healthcare go hand in hand. Even Rick Perry acknowledges the validity in HPV vaccinations where most of the Right dismisses any weight in claims that science may make. (Yes, I know he did it wrong with proposing that the vaccinations be mandatory, but that is not the issue at hand.) The Anti-Choice movement has shoved a wedge between two causes for women (and women’s bodies) and the war is now between us, but we are the only ones suffering.

The Komen Foundation is pissing all over Susan G. Komen’s name and her sister, the CEO, should be ashamed. The organization released a statement this morning backpeddling and saying that the pressures to withdraw its support of Planned Parenthood was not political, as it isn’t a political organization and I call shenanigans. If you care about women, women’s bodies, TaTas or whatever the hell you want to reduce us to, care about all of our rights.

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Activism, Anti-Choice, GOP, Healthcare, Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, Women, Women's Rights

Livication

About the author

"Livication” is a mix of the words “live” and “dedication”, and is an important concept how I live. I've been dubbed a post-modern hippie. I can come at you on some old school revolution, or kick it with my contemporaries. I am a social butterfly (but also a square peg), Blacktivist, LGBTQ (any/all civil rights) advocate, womanist, feminist, and Black woman. I'm mouthy and passionate; difficult to silence. An abstract thinker and self-defined. An unapologetic fantastic disaster. Calm like a bomb.

http://twitter.com/thee_stupid the_stupid

It’s been many years since I’ve been to a Planned Parenthood, but back in the day in NJ they didn’t perform any abortions,only referral to all the options. They only did exams, pregnancy tests and health screening. I believe that to be the case in several states, so they aren’t defunding an abortion program, but a low income and mostly a program for teens too scared to face their parents, even rich ones. What a misguided decision.

Anonymous

Exactly my point. The short-sighted continue to reduce Planned Parenthood to an agency who simply performs abortions when, in fact, abortion services accounted for only 3% of its resources in 2008.

Prosey

Not to put too fine a point on it, but most of the people in support of this decision by SGK are the very same people who talk about of both sides of their mouths accusing PPFA of “targeting” Black women for abortions while simultaneously working to defund other social programs that benefit poor people, of which Black people are disproportionately affected. I’m in full agreement with you: apolitical, my ass.

Anonymous

Those people are also, in my opinion, short-sighted and feign “caring” about the Black community throwing up the entire “roots of Planned Parenthood” saga. From the facebook comments on SGK’s status, they were primarily (white) anti-choicers saying “hooray, now I can finally support your cause!” and “abortion kills more women every day then the decision to defund PPFA”.
I think that it’s very silly, again, considering Planned Parenthood provides a number of services that are primarily preventative for women’s reproductive health. I’ve not heard that argument yet with SGK’s decision but I’ve heard it in the past and I can’t take it seriously when they want to outlaw abortion and reduce women’s (Black and all) choices. Remember, it’s the choice and not the act, though this isn’t a post about choice more than it is all of the services that PPFA provides.Aside, it disturbs me when there is always constant (historical and otherwise) criticism/conflict on all sides of Black women’s reproductive systems: a) systematic slave breeding in the US (long history of rape), b) colorism and eugenics, c) forced sterilizations, d) the whole “real mother” vs “baby mama” shtick.. I could go on and on. My point is, the folks against PPFA don’t pop out of the woodwork to address these issues that are ongoing social problems with the mistreatment with Black women and reproduction.

Prosey

Totally agreed, on ALL counts. I’ve blogged about this subject frequently, and very rarely without annoyance at the hypocrisy.

http://commentarybyvalentina.wordpress.com/ Val

There is more to this. There is some backroom dealing going on. I’m sure some rich Republicans have promised some money if they severed their ties with Planned Parenthood.

Another thing that bugs me about The The Komen Foundation is how can a charity afford to buy so much TV time. I’m sure they get a discounted rate but even with a lower rate I don’t get it. here at least, they run so many TV commercials that I get sick of seeing them. It goes on from for months!

Anonymous

Girrrrl, I could go on and on and on about SGK. The CEO, who is Susan G. Komen’s sister, had the salary of $459,406 in 2010. (http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2010/10/sink_pink.single.html)
Another issue for for me is that they dominate October to the point that people refer to it as “Pink October” (Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Ironic that it’s also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but with the money and resources that SGK has to pour into their cause, it’s overpowering.

Nurple

Sorry, not giving someone money is not an attack. Komen didnt backpeddle, they addressed the concern and made it clear they would not bow to the pressure those demanding they give money to planned parenthood and taking money from someone who wishes it to be used elswhere is not a right. So stand with whomever you like, this doesnt mean others can be forced to doing what you want. Medicare is widely availbile and if the government doesnt ban mammograms as being too expensive as they tried, then Obamacare should work as you wanted it to.

Anonymous

It’s reasons for discontinuing its partnership was based in political bullying by the Right; the disadvantages that women in poverty face is a result of said bullying. Ergo, “attack”.

a.eye

I was happy to see an article today that said that in one day PP got over 6000 donations (usually they get about 100-200/day).

People realize that they do more than just abortions. As one commenter said, some of them (MOST) don’t even do those.

I went to PP for annual woman checks through college and my early-mid 20s. They had great service for an excellent price that didn’t break my budget. And I could get appointments really fast compared to “regular” doctor’s offices that had months-long waiting lists.
Anonymous

Don’t they only make referrals for mammograms?
http://primaldata.blogspot.com/ PRIMALDATA

One would think with “A Christmas Carol” running every year with the message of the miserly and miserable rich, Ebeneezer Scrooge, people would understand that to so many the poor are just “Surplus Population” and need to be eliminated. When the people you rub shoulders with tend to be “high minded” and claim you are being hoodwinked, abused, or mistreated it isn’t hard to get swayed into going against your better mind. Is it political of course, will it cause the number of women who were getting their health screenings in a challenging economy to dwindle yup, does that matter if somebody who “would love to give money if you just didn’t support baby killing” nope.

Just like with the BS about the Patriotic Millionaires, if you are really about a cause damn the torpedoes and do whats in your heart. For any who believed that conservatives were just worried about “government money” being spent on poor peoples health here you see a charitable organization being pressured into no longer helping anymore. Diseases rarely discriminate, only people do it’s funny we have allowed pink October to permeate every part of our lives, if you know any gamer ask them what happens when they play John Madden post 2010 and they get to the month of October in season? Everybody starts wearing pink, all the players have on either pink shoes, pink gloves or pink patches and the field has the pink ribbon in the corners.

Now yes this is done to match the actual NFL and provide an extra sense of realism but think, if we go by the stats most gamers are male, and sports gamers triply so, exactly why would they give a damn about SGK and pink October. Well hopefully they have girlfriends, mothers, aunts, sisters or cousins and will be moved to delay their next gaming purchase and donate the funds to Breast cancer research. I can appreciate this “no stone left unturned” approach to getting the message out, but it seems counter productive to then tell people without other health care options to do without.

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