OUR VIEW: Breast cancer screening takes a political hit
As children's author Judy Blume so appropriately put it: "Susan Komen would not give in to bullies or fear. Too bad the foundation bearing her name did."
Breast cancer is not ideological. It doesn't single out abortion supporters or opponents, conservatives or liberals. So it's alarming that a respected organization like Susan G. Komen for the Cure would allow such a divisive issue to intervene in decisions about how to fund breast cancer screenings. It's perfectly acceptable to oppose abortion, but efforts to end it should not come at the expense of other women's health services that could thwart deadly diseases such as breast cancer.
Let's be clear about one thing: The abortion issue is behind the Komen foundation's decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood. Komen officials tried to deny this Thursday in a vague and long-winded video statement claiming the decision has been "widely mischaracterized" and was not politically motivated but rather was the result of organizational changes in policy and strategy. The problem is plenty of specifics supporting the notion that abortion played a role came out when the news broke the day before.
It started with a Komen board member explaining the decision to end funds for Planned Parenthood by citing new policies the foundation adopted that prohibit giving money to groups under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. Planned Parenthood is the subject of a congressional investigation by fervent anti-abortion House member Cliff Stearns, a Republican from Florida, to determine if federal funds were spent on abortions. It's clear that Stearn's investigation is a partisan pursuit, not a legitimate investigation by authorities. It was also reported that a recently hired top Komen official unsuccessfully ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 claiming she would end state funds to Planned Parenthood. And further reporting showed that Komen has consistently and increasingly come under pressure by conservative, anti-abortion groups for some time due to its funding of breast screenings at Planned Parenthood.
Most recently, in December, a religious publisher announced a recall of pink Bibles the Komen foundation unveiled as a new fundraiser due to the Planned Parenthood link. There's plenty of evidence to conclude Komen's new policy was an expedient way to end the mounting pressure and attacks by anti-abortion groups.
In the past, Komen has defended its funding of Planned Parenthood because of the importance of that organization's breast health screenings. Just last year it issued a statement, which said in part, "In some areas, the only place that poor, uninsured or under-insured women can receive (breast cancer screening) services are through programs run by Planned Parenthood. ... These facilities serve rural women, poor women, Native American women, women of color, and the un- and under-insured. ... As long as there is a need for health care for these women, Komen Affiliates will continue to fund the facilities that meet that need." With Komen's funds, Planned Parenthood provided more than 170,000 breast cancer screenings in recent years.
If Komen took its mission to end breast cancer seriously, it would have stood by this statement, not cut off potentially life-saving services for women that Komen admits have no other access to them.
