Komen takes on Planned Parenthood

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
BY MAUREEN DOYLE
Why can’t people get along? Especially groups of people with the same goal (saving women’s lives)? The goal of the Susan G. Komen Foundation as stated on its website (and based on the thoughts of Susan G. Komen, a woman who was a victim of cancer, for whom the foundation is named), is: “working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all, and energize science to find the cures” . But, the  Foundation withdrew its funding of Planned Parenthood, an organization that fights for the same causes while offering breast cancer screenings, mammograms, and HIV testing and education on menopause and the prevention of cervical, breast, and ovarian cancers to lower income women. (www.PlannedParenthood.org) It sounds to me like they are working for the same worthwhile goal (women‘s health). Planned Parenthood, by the nature of their organization, has more involvement with the reproductive  side of women’s health (i.e., contraceptives and abortion), so the Komen Foundation has to be the snooty older sister who takes the ball home so that Planned Parenthood can’t play (read: function) anymore.

This sounds like a class issue to me. Rich people can (and will, despite their allegiances to a church or so-called ‘pro-life’ group) get  contraceptives and abortions if they need them. Many lower income women turn to local organizations like Planned Parenthood to help them with the necessary funds for  services. The Komen Foundation receives money throughout the world as donations and grants; it is a organization well known throughout the world. Although the Komen Foundation does provide information on where to get a low cost or free cancer screening, Planned Parenthood actually provides those services, saving countless lives through early detection. The CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Virginia, Patrick Hurd,  is quoted as saying in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette story, “Komen halts grants to PP” (February 1, 2012), in astonishment of the Komen withdrawal of funds, “… cancer doesn’t care if you are pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative. Victims of cancer could care less about people’s politics.”  (By the way, his wife is a breast cancer survivor with the help of a Komen grant.)

Cancer is a horrible illness regardless of whether you are rich or poor. Prevention and treatment should be available to all, regardless of available funds or social class.