The Right Fangirl

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nation's largest breast cancer charity, has pulled hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants toward breast cancer screenings from Planned Parenthood, citing it's newly implemented policy that they will not award grants to groups under investigation from the federal government. This is great news for many in the pro-life community who've in the past refused to donate to the charity (including myself, though I don't consider myself to be part of the pro-life movement) because of the connection to Planned Parenthood.

Of course the "pro-choice" crowd has their heads spinning, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure page on Facebook was flooded with both positive and negative messages, including several faulting the charity for the future deaths of thousands of women due to breast cancer.

Here's the problem with that accusation. It's already been confirmed that Planned Parenthood doesn't actually perform mammograms. This was confirmed by a Planned Parenthood clinic employee/volunteer last year. They offer referrals for mammograms, which anyone can obtain from other free clinics not associated with Planned Parenthood or from a primary care physician. Not to mention that just because Planned Parenthood isn't receiving funds specifically earmarked for breast cancer screenings, they're going to stop the screenings all together. For Planned Parenthood to do that would confirm their status as an abortion-first market, and they would never expose themselves like that without running the risk of losing future donations.

Cecile Richards, the current president of Planned Parenthood, equated the actions of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to "bullying". However, this is what freedom of speech (spoken with dollars) is all about -- the ability to use your money to support organisations as you see fit based on your principals (or the principals of your organisation). Just as those against abortion chose not to donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure while it was funnelling money to Planned Parenthood, those supporting Planned Parenthood can choose not to donate to the breast cancer charity. In my opinion, THAT shows an abortion-first mentality instead of someone willing to support women's health and well-being.

UPDATE: Susan G. Komen for the Cure is changing their tune AGAIN, stating they'll continue to fund Planned Parenthood. “Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation,” a Friday statement said. “ We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.”

This is what their policy should have been in the first place. Or better yet, they never should have provided funding to Planned Parenthood from the beginning. Now this about-face is angering those on both sides of the abortion argument. The lesson here is that Susan G. Komen for the Cure isn't about standing up for its principals -- it's about standing with whichever group is shouting the loudest.