A few day sago I posted an article on Facebook about Susan G. Komen For the Cure (TM. Seriously.) halting grants to Planned Parenthood; grants used to fund breast cancer screening and education.
Since then, if you have had any interaction on any form of social media, you have seen a virtual cluster fuck of outcry at this decision, and a mountain of furious opinions coming in from both sides.
And now, I’m going to elaborate on mine…kinda.
First, and I know this is an unpopular statement, but Susan G. Komen For the Cure has every single right in the world to stop awarding grant money to Planned Parenthood. It’s true. They absolutely do. They could use that money to make 50 billion pink spatulas, thongs or roll around naked in it. It’s their right.
But, I also have the right to be completely disgusted by their decision, to donate to charities focused on research and cure, and to be absolutely terrified at the direction of women’s healthcare in this country, because in my mind, politicizing women’s health is a dangerous thing.
Cancer kills women.
Not just Democratic women or Republican women or Swing Voters.
All women.
It doesn’t check your party affiliation card when it invades your body, and it certianly doesn’t check your tax return to make sure you have enough money to fight it.
This needs to be a woman problem. Not a political problem.
It is my firm opinion that religion has very little place in healthcare.
Every person has the right to instill in themselves a personal belief system with which they use to make their decisions. Whether it be based on religion or faith or spirituality, I don’t care. You have the right to have it.
But you don’t have the right to extend that personal belief system to others.
We can’t let the beliefs of some make the decisions for all. It’s not fair.
This is not about abortion. Stop reducing the importance of women’s healthcare to such a petty political talking point, it’s insulting. Having boobs and vaginas doesn’t render women incapable of making educated decisions about our body.
If you don’t want an abortion, it’s very easy not to have one. You don’t just trip and fall into one.
I know that it’s hard, because it’s such a way of life in this country right now, to be PRO or AGAINST or just plain THIS AND ONLY THIS, but we have to stop and remember that we can’t entangle our personal and religious belief systems with the fact that women in this country, regardless of finances or race, need to be able to take care of themselves, and it’s scary to me that the ability to do so is jeopardized, both from the private sector, as well as the federal government.
That’s why this move and this precedent is important.
This is why it’s time to use your outside voice, because if we are loud enough, it works.
yup. That’s all I got. yup.
AGREE. We should all just decide what is right for our own bodies and not let others take it on. Whether I am pro or against anything shouldn’t matter.
And…. now they post a “we changed our minds.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46243184/ns/health-womens_health/
I’m sure that has NOTHING to do with the public outrage!
Absolutely!
So, they’ve reversed the decision, but can they come back from this? You don’t get to make incredibly poor choices that affect millions of people, and then just say, “Oops. Lapse in judgement – Sorry ’bout that.” I am so proud of all the people who stepped up and donated to Planned Parenthood during this debacle. Way to go folks!
I am no marketing pro, but my instinct says no.
What they have done is show their hand. They went from being seen as a charity that fights cancer, to a company that makes breast cancer a business.
Damage done.
You nailed it. They’ve become a business. In fact, they have become the quintessential Big Business that has forgotten it’s original mission. Several years ago, I wanted to do the Susan G. Komen 3 day in honor of my grandmother. Then I read over the rules. I had to raise $3,000 in order to do the walk. If I did not raise that amount, I would have to pay the difference in order to participate. I have heard stories about women who have been turned away on the day of the walk because they hadn’t raised enough money. This began my disillusionment with Susan G. Komen Foundation.
I agree that people and corporations have the right to donate (or not donate) their money as they see fit. The problem is that Planned Parenthood has been villified. PP is now synonymous with abortion. And most people are willing to accept this instead of educating themselves on all the services Planned Parenthood offers. It makes me so angry that people are so blinded by one word that they would deny health care to people in need.
$3000. That is absolutely ridiculous.
My thoughts exactly. By vilifying PP, they have raised so much doubt in my heart about the company culture of SGK. I am, and will remain to be, completely disgusted.
On another note… I cannot imagine being turned away from a charity walk if I hadn’t raised enough money. How does an organization put a number on charity? Is accepting $2,500 instead of $3,000 going to degrade the Foundation? I think not.
I could NOT agree more! Also, for what it’s worth, I am very Christian, love and follow God, and go to church regularly. But I also think religion has no place in healthcare, and firmly believe in every woman’s right to choose what is right for her body and her life. I always thought it was funny when I was young that some Christians I knew were so exclusive and judgemental towards certain groups of people. Then I finally found a church where TRULY all our welcome- any political affiliation, sexual orientation, stance on abortion, questions about God, etc. I love it. I know all of this doesn’t have much to do with your awesome post today, just wanted to throw it out there that there are plenty of people who completely agree with you, even some of us crazy religious peeps!! ;)
I am Catholic, I carry a personal belief system constructed BY ME and FOR ME. I decide the lines I overstep and the parameters I stay within.
And I think you are amazing, so thank you so much for this comment and this view!
I am also Catholic and feel that my faith is not your faith and your faith is not my faith and I’m okay with that.
There is no place in the healthcare industry for institutional religious views. It’s a big country and not everyone believes the same things. One point of view cannot govern a whole industry.
Well, I can honestly say there is no way in hell they’ll ever get my donations back! They’ve shown their true colors & have only backed down due to public outrage & the loss of future donations.
Awesome post. Well said.
Exactly.
Exactly.
“Every person has the right to instill in themselves a personal belief system with which they use to make their decisions. Whether it be based on religion or faith or spirituality, I don’t care. You have the right to have it.
But you don’t have the right to extend that personal belief system to others.”
YES. THIS.
You know where I stand since I was part of the fun Facebook banter. I absolutely agree that the Komen folks will be hard pressed to earn back the trust of the public. It’s opened up a lot of issues to the public – and I have a hard time supporting a “Breast Cancer Business” and I say business since I know very few non-profits with CEO’s making $500,000+/year.
They’ve reversed their decision this morning :)
Your clarity in seeing to the heart of an issue amazes me. Well said Madame. Well said. Now lets talk about you running for POTUS. Id totally vote for you.
Just FYI, you can send a love note to the woman behind this at:
Karen Handel
Susan G Komen
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250
Dallas, TX 75244
Yes, they “changed” their mind, but she is still the Exec VP and her right-wing, anti-woman ideologies will still be there.
Perfectly stated.
I agree kazillion percent and I am actually appalled by Komen’s bullshit apology.
I think they totally fucked their brand and I can’t take any joy in it, because in the end, it hurts women.
I hate that women’s health care is a political pawn in this country.
“I think they totally fucked their brand and I can’t take any joy in it, because in the end, it hurts women.”
That is exactly what I was thinking as I was scrolling down.
Well said!
“You don’t just trip and fall into one”…is absofrigginlutley brilliant!!!
Thank you!
Absolutely. Well said.
The one good thing to come out of all of this is that not only did Komen “reverse the decision,” they also unwittingly drummed up an amazing amount of support for Planned Parenthood. These staunch pro-life advocates like Cliff Stearns and Karen Handel tried to take money away from Planned Parenthood and ended up inspiring people to donate. It’s reported that $400,000 in private donations were raised in 24 hours, in addition to one $250,000 donation from a philanthropist in Dallas and another $250,000 from Michael Bloomberg. In their zest to rip funding away from PP, they inadvertently helped to raise more money for them to use to continue providing care to low-income women. To me, that’s poetic justice.
This representative Cliff Stearns who initiated the investigation in the first place, and this Republican/failed politician Karen Handel they have running at the top of the Komen Foundation
Sorry, I meant to delete those last two lines. Blame it on loss of brain function due motherhood :)
pardon my language…
FUCKIN’ A RIGHT!
Seriously, on every.single.point. you made, absolutely, I agree, 100% and if I didn’t, I have that right, just like you had the right to write it. It’s called the CONSTITUTION.
seriously, love you!
A to the WOMEN! Brilliantly said.
My vagina and boobs thank you.
I love what can happen when people stand together.
This is why I read your blog. You almost always put into words, what I can’t seem to express. Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this!
I wish people could take a step back from themselves and realize that what’s right for them may not be what’s right for everyone else. No one on this planet should have the right to tell me another person what they can and cannot do to or with their own bodies.
THANK YOU! The relevant lessons I remember from elementary school are these: Keep Your Eyes on Your OWN Paper. Don’t Worry About What Your Neighbor Is Doing.
It honestly scares the shit out of me that there are people trying to take away the right women have to their bodies. I sometimes wonder if people stop to completely think through what they are proposing. Last November, Mississippi proposed Initiative 26, which would have given person hood to a fetus at the moment of conception.Under this, it would have been illegal for a women to have an abortion (obviously) but also certain contraceptives. I was in tears when it was defeated, I was so happy. Had the law passed, questions such as ” Could a miscarriage be considered parental neglect? And could that women be jailed for it?” would have, had to come up and it scares the hell out of me that something so tiny would have had more rights than I would.
This proposed legislature made me furious too. Under it, I would have had to prove that my seven miscarriages were not, in fact, induced by me. Not that it is anyone’s business but mine and my husbands’ if they had been (they most definitely were NOT). But those were PAINFUL. Fertility treatments were hard enough and the miscarriages on top of them sucked sweaty, smelly, hairy donkey balls. Now some asshole thinks I need to PROVE that they were tragic and awful? Fuck you very much. Frightening. Really.
As a patient at Planned Parenthood and a recipient of free birth control from them (or the state of MN, not sure which is the case), I was furious with this and other “defund Planned Parenthood” movements, especially among fellow students at the very conservative Baptist college I attend. I’m glad to see that someone else (or, considering the comments, what lots of someone elses) think that this is not about politics or legislation, but about women, and that religious conviction is a personal, not national, issue. I recently did a post on this (SHAMELESS PLUG: wanderingthedesert.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/pipe-bombs-just-arent-my-style/) if anyone is interested in a Christ-follower’s perspective on the topic.
Thanks for being awesome. Seriously.
So very well said!
I have to agree at one time the Foundation probably did good work. But it’s become BIG BUSINESS and once that happens how much of my money actually goes toward a cure and not to someones Fiji trip.
I wish that religion and politics would stay out of my bra and panties. I wish that women in power positions would stop and think that cancer kills and so do back room abortions… and that THEY do not have to live that persons life. I wish that MEN in power positions would shut the hell up with what THEY think women need for health care.. until you are bare for anyone to see while having a Pap, or giving birth or when you have your penis clamped between two plates and twisted into odd positions.. you do NOT get a say in my medical well being.
Arrrrghhh.. now I am aggravated.
Basically, I am going to give to my local hospital that has a fabulous cancer center attached. At least then I can see what my dollars are doing, may not go towards a cure, but it will go towards the care.
Love you so much for this.
I don’t have regular blog anymore, so I couldn’t say this. So glad you did. It’s exactly the way I feel.
Yay!
First and foremost, I think that Komen’s decision was disgusting, damaging and political. I do not agree with it one bit.
That said, I also am now left to wonder what will happen to all women if Komen sees a very dramatic drop in donations. It could be that the end result of this disastrous decision could be that there is far less funding to Komen, and therefore far less research, education and testing. I hope that there is someone else, someone willing to be a worthwhile charity and not a political business, willing to pick up Komen’s donations and programs. The end result could very well be a loss in money for breast cancer overall, and that is terrifying.
From what I have read,(I have limited knowledge of this and it’s of course open for discussion) as of 2009, only 20% of Komen’s donations ACTUALLY went to research. When you donate, larger portions stay with Komen the business, than are funneled to research/education/treatment organizations.
So, maybe the outcome of this could be more direct donations to vetted foundations that directly impact research/education/prevention/awareness.
And in my opinion, that’s a good thing. Finding (or not finding) a cure should not be a lucrative business, because that is truly damaging to women.
Absolutely. It is their money, and they can do what they can with it. Sort of. Because that ,money comes from donations, and if it’s not being used the right way, it might stop coming in. It should.
And this decision? Completely misguided.
I was shocked to hear about the amount of money that SGK brings in vs. what goes out for education/research/etc. That having been said….I know first hand how scary and expensive cancer can be, even when you have insurance. (My husband had cancer, years ago, when we were both in school and it was both very scary and expensive.) So when my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was in an absolute panic about how they were going to cover the costs of what insurance didn’t cover. And SGK (well, her local affiliates) really stepped up, with advice, support, people to talk to who could help with every little thing she would need (even things she didn’t know she would need) and – perhaps the best – a grant that covered her lost salary for the time it was going to take to recover from a double mastectomy. She ended up not needing radiation or chemo, but there was money to make up the difference for that, too. And I was thrilled for her to have all that support and not to have to go it alone. SGK made a world of difference for my aunt. So I’m really confused as to what to think about this situation now. And disappointed in SGK.
As someone with a different perspective on SGK let me share with you. I am a woman. I am a cancer survivor, times 2. I am of no importance to SGK. None whatsoever. Their volunteers and there mission have made that very clear. Why am I of no matter to them? Because I had cervical cancer. I didn’t have breast cancer. My cancer is not important. A group like SGK that has risen to prominence spouting their concern for WOMEN has never bothered to broaden their scope to include other women’s cancers. That’s fine. That’s their right. But don’t tout yourself as a supporter for women’s healthcare when you really aren’t. The biggest issue is that because of SGK no one pays any attention to any other women’s cancers. It’s like they don’t exist. The color for gyno-cancers is….Do you know? Most likely not. No one does..They only know pink. By the way it’s teal. And it is my signature color. I also was turned away from the SGK 3 Day and had to work as crew b/c I “only” raised $2300 of the required $3000.
Amen to your post. You have a gift Brittany, a gift of saying exactly what I cannot put into words. As a nurse, and an ex-women’s health nurse, I always wondered and got very pissed off at the politics on the health care agency, and insurance company’s right to choose a length of stay, etc on women’s issues. Say for instance a man has to have his prostate removed, it’s an automatic 2-3 day stay. But for a woman to have a radical mastectomy, or any mastectomy, it’s a 1-day stay. Hysterectomies for various woman’s cancers are also a very short length of stay. Just blows my mind the inconsistancies of this nation between men and women, and how we’re all “Equal”.
Amen. You hit the nail on the head and I, like you, now pay a lot of attention to where and how I donate or raise money for organizations because to have an amount that you must raise in order to participate is all kinds of ridiculous!
Just because a company is huge and so media centered does not mean it is the best place to donate money in order to help cure cancer or any other disease. It is so important that we look at what the organization is doing with our money and making sure they are using it for what it was intended. Not making decisions based on faith with dollars donated to help stop breast cancer – that is the right thing. Even after the apology, I am sure my dollars can find a better place to go to help fight beast cancer.
Amen
The problem that so many people have with PP isn’t that they perform abortions – it’s that they receive government funding (also known as tax payer money) to help implement their agenda (which is how these “crazy religious people” see it). If PP wants to provide birth control, education and help women in need receive health care – including abortions – then tax payers who disagree with that shouldn’t have to pay for it. Based on public outrage to SGK and the donation spike to PP, why do they need government funding? Aren’t they also a non-profit organization? (Which I guess raises the question – does SGK get gov’t funding and if so, how much and to what end if so little of their revenue goes to research anymore?)
I hate that abortion is a political issue every.time.there.is.an.election. Enough already. The law is the law is the law. And to religious conservatives, I say this: 1) you cannot legislate morality and to fiscal conservative/libertarians 2) if you really want less of a welfare state, from a smaller government/fewer entitlements perspective, shouldn’t you want people to be able to get an abortion if they want one?
And I agree 12983% that decisions about a woman’s body belong only to her.
I disagree with many of these points, but I guess that makes me one of those crazy haters and the arguments just go round and round… We’ll keep voting and just like murder, theft, gas emissions and tax evasion, these moral-based/agenda-pushing issues will be left to the majority. BUT AS ALWAYS, you are wonderfully witty and entertaining. Thank you Brittany!
I am saddened at how we are supposed to live in a country that separates church and state – yet every day we are reminded how much that isn’t true. If we really kept them separate – then the Church wouldn’t be telling our Government what pieces of healthcare can and can not be covered, the religion of our presidential candidates wouldn’t keep making the headlines, and our congress wouldn’t pass resolutions on weather or not a husband has the right to end the life of his brain dead wife. Abortion, birth control, cancer screening – WOMEN’S HEALTH – should NEVER be a discussion point for anyone besides the woman and her immediate family.
Brittany, I LOVE your blog and I am so glad my girlfriend told me about you. Your voice is powerful and inspires all of us. You know… the ones sitting in our living rooms with our kids climbing on us and The Lion King blaring in the background who promise that we will raise the next generation with more compassion and tolerance. Don’t stop writing – don’t stop being a voice of reason. You are RIGHT – and we are going to make a change. One voice, one blog, one comment at a time.
I do not want to put money into a charity that is going to fund the abortion of an 18 year old who decided to open her legs at a party one night and doesn’t want to care for the child that is forming inside her. I love you but DO NOT agree with your opinion on this. LOVE YOU