As a breast cancer survivor, I was astonished to read that the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which has supported breast health for women by sponsoring runs, walks, and other fund raising activities, has withdrawn its support from Planned Parenthood.
"Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the country’s best-known and best-funded breast cancer organization. Known for it’s iconic pink ribbon and annual Race for the Cure event, the organization has invested nearly $2 billion in cancer education and research since its founding in 1982.
But today, bowing to political pressure, Komen for the Cure announced that it is severing its partnership with Planned Parenthood and will stop providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants that allow their centers to perform breast exams on women who could not otherwise get them.
Since anti-abortion activists and their Republican allies ratcheted up their crusade against Planned Parenthood last year, they’ve targeted any and all allies of the organization to try to make inroads, including the cancer charity. Planned Parenthood provides birth control, STD testing, and cancer screenings to low-income women.
In a press release Planned Parenthood said it was deeply saddened and disappointed by the decision."
SOURCE
SGK is no longer a charitable organization whose purpose is to educate women on breast health and to support other organization that do the same. SGK has become a political entity that caters to a narrow group of conservatives who insist on withdrawing a very valuable and needed health service because of their personally held beliefs.
I will no longer support anything the SGK organization sponsors; since, through their shameful actions, that organization has shown it is not in the business of saving women's lives, but in conforming to political ideology.
Any contributions that I normally give to SGK will now go to Planned Parenthood.
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION.
I caught this on memeorandum last night. I find it shocking this organization was influenced so easily by narrow mindedness and anti--abortion fanatics. Indeed it is shameful.
ReplyDeleteShaw, I had the same response to Komen's actions.
ReplyDeletePetition sent ... along with a few unkind words added to the CREDO comment box about the SBK board being a bunch of gutless cowards.
ReplyDeleteIt seems one of the culprits is Karen Handel, former Georgia Secretary of State and Sarah Palin-endorsed candidate for governor in 2010, who joined Komen in April 2011 as Senior VP for Public Policy. During her campaign for governor, Handel not only campaigned as an anti-abortion candidate but promised to eliminate state funding to Planned Parenthood.
ReplyDeleteThere is a PP in my community, Tomorrow, I will go there in person and leave a donation (and there better not be any anti-abortion protestors out front as there usually are - I might go ballistic).
This right wing malignancy has become metastatic and the only way to treat it is to starve it out.
ReplyDeleteThere are other ways to support breast cancer research and early detection and other related missions: www.nationalbreastcancer.org the Breast Cancer Foundation and of course, the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org
and for God's sake, don't vote for Republicans!
Virginia, and its Inquisitor-Governor Bob McDonough in specific, have just passed legislation that will force women to undergo a medically unnecessary ultrasound over their objections, and over the objections of their doctors, before they will be allowed by the STATE to have an abortion.
ReplyDeleteWhen you add up the intrusions forced on citizens by Republicans within the past two years alone - new barriers to abortion and women’s healthcare in 35 states, loss of voting rights due to new voter ID laws, and union busting in 26 states - these add up to substantial losses of rights and freedoms by millions of citizens. This also represents the imposition of a neo-fascist style government, and that is exactly what these Republicans are - Neo-Fascist PIGS !!!
Were these laws passed by the representative of the people of the states and signed by the respective governor of each state?
ReplyDeleteIf so that is representative democracy, is it not ?
It seems to me the people of these states have s right to set the standard for thier state, as ethically or morally repulsive it might seem to us.
Additionally, it would appear education is lacking in this area. But then again people generally only learn that which they chose to learn.
I do agree Octo there are politicians that actively campaign on such crap as this and unfortunately many listen. Facism has many faces.
"If so that is representative democracy, is it not ?"
ReplyDeleteNo, this is NOT representative democracy for ONE VERY BIG REASON: In 2010, the candidates DID NOT RUN on these platforms. They ran on slogans of JOBS, JOBS, JOBS and, as soon as they were in office, turned on the social legislation switch and sneaked in this shit surreptitiously under the radar. Perhaps you read up on ALEC (under L+INKS in right column of this blog) to more fully understand the corporatist agenda ... and why this shit absolutely meets the definition of FASCISM !!!
I beg to differ.
ReplyDeleteThere are limitations to Democracy and ours is designed to contain checks and balances - and laws - to keep it from becoming simply mob rule -- that's why we have a constitution that limits the power of the government whether or not some backward groups like it or not -- and which is designed to protect individuals against the tyranny of the group and which includes a list of self-evident rights that may not be taken regardless of how the voters feel. One of these amendments -- the 14th -- seems to assure that Federal protections may not be overridden by the States.
I think it's fair to say that a state cannot vote to re-institute slavery or witch burning and that has a lot to do with the amendment in question - and the Civil war, of course. Virginia, after all was quite happy to allow slavery and the rape and murder of not only slaves, but the continued persecution of minorities for a hundred years after we had to burn them to the ground to get them to stop. They've hardly given up using democracy to kill freedom. Hell, until I was 22 years old, these smooth talking Church going gentlemen could throw me in jail for being married to my wife all in the name of Democracy! Kinda gives an ironic meaning to their state motto.
As a bit of a Libertarian -- or social Liberal if you prefer, I think the states have no business making the religious feelings of the voters or the Churches the law of the land when it is opposed to the letter and intent of the constitution and that's what I'm arguing now, and that's been the story of mankind's crawl upward from medievalism and tyranny in my opinion.
None the less, the SBK people are not the US government and have a right to their opinion and to argue their case and refuse to support whom they like, but I sure don't have to like them or contribute to them.
Virginia however, is in violation of the 14th amendment, ( if you ask Justice Fogg) among other things, as surely as it would be in requiring Jews to see a Christian propaganda film before entering a synagogue or requiring a man to listen to a sermon before using contraception or requiring me to listen to Newt Gingrich before I vote for Obama.
What I can't understand is the hypocrisy of braying "don't tread on me" while one is trying to step on someone elses face.
RN, A very healthy majority of Americans voted for Barack Obama in the last presidential election. He then proceeded to implement the ACA, a promise he campaigned on and a promise he kept.
ReplyDeleteWhy did the Tea Baggers say it was jammed down their throats? According to your view, the people, by voting Mr. Obama into office and knowing full well what he was going to do on health care, must have approved of his plans. And yet the rightwing went crazy when Mr. Obama got his health care plan passed.
See the right is faithful to democratic ideals and liberty, so long as they define what those are and how we are to live under them.
Our government does not force any woman to have an abortion. But the crazy fundamentalists in the GOP base would have the government coerce and force a woman to have an unwanted pregnancy.
Capt. Fogg, of course, is correct. SBK is a private organization and can do as it please with the funds it raises. But millions of women now understand what the underlying aim of that organization's withdrawal is, and we will act accordingly with our donations and stop supporting them.
Where talking about the ACA, or slavery, or the civil war?
ReplyDeleteI prefer to stick to the essence of the post.
Capt. point with respect to the private nature of SKB is valid I also agree with his closing statement.
I believe the issue of legislation was first brought up by someone other than me.
"I prefer to stick to the essence of the post."
ReplyDeleteFine! These are the facts (now pay attention please): In order to meet the requirements of the Hyde and Stupak-Pitts Amendments, Planned Parenthood partitioned their accounting system to keep funds provided by the government for women's healthcare SEPARATE (make sure you understand what this word means) from operating funds covering abortion.
For over THREE DECADES, this was standard operating procedure for Planned Parenthood, and no one questioned it until the wave of Tea Thugs came into office. Suddenly, Rep. Cliff Stearns’s (R-FL) decides to investigate the bookkeeping procedures of Planned Parenthood, which is subsequently used by Komen as an excuse for making the break with PP.
Now let's see if you understand the concept of HATCHET JOB, because that is precisely what it is. Komen Vice President for Policy Karen Handel was behind the decision. Handel, who ran for governor of Georgia in 2010, promised to defund Planned Parenthood.
Meanwhile, these are the services provided by PP that are now in jeopardy:
750,000 breast exams (including 6,400 referrals for mammograms)
770,000 pap tests
4 million tests for STDs
In many parts of the country, Planned Parenthood is the ONLY place where women can go for these life-saving cancer screenings. In contrast, only 2% of all PP services involve abortions (often for necessary medical reasons, not elective ones as presumed). The controversy is not merely about abortion. The fucking fascist Fundie freaks think birth control encourages sin, and what gives them the fucking right to poke their noses into people's bedrooms and legislate morality ... even among the married (which is why the organization is called "Planned Parenthood").
RN, now do you get the picture?
This afternoon, I visited my local Democratic Headquarters for the first time ... ever! As I opened the door, a passing driver stopped his car, screamed epithets at me and flung a bird before driving off. The next time ANY FUCKING REPUBLICAN HARASSES ME IN PUBLIC AGAIN, I intent to call enforcement and have that piece of shit frog-marched to prison. Now consider today's event against the backdrop of a dead cats left on a doorstep with the word "Liberal" painted on it. And gun crosshairs posted on the office doors of FIVE Senate Democrats in Missouri. And the latest: Allan West telling liberals to "get the hell out of the country."
Get the picture! Yes fascists! Guess what? I can shoot too, and GODAMMIT I intend to.
Octo - I belleve I stated my position at the top. Nowhere did I agree with the matter as handled. Quite the opposite.
ReplyDeleteAll,
ReplyDeleteI'd say this is another pathetic example of just how much "progress" religious fanatics have made in damaging America's freedom. So far as I can gather, the fanatics have all but won the reproductive rights battle over abortion, partly by committing acts of domestic terrorism, and they have now moved on to contraception. There's nothing democratic about what they're up to -- it's twisted theocracy and they don't give half an unsatisfying #2 what "the people" think. Besides, even if they had, say, 53% of a particular state insane enough to go along with them, this country has at its core a mission to protect smaller groups and individuals from the tyranny of an arrogant majority. You can't take away people's basic freedoms and call it democracy.
Well said, blogingdino, well said.
ReplyDeleteAnd apparently the handmaiden of Democracy, the Internet, has won another battle. SOPA was strangled in its cradle and the SBK people have backed down on their decision today in the face of public outrage.
ReplyDeleteSic semper Tyrannosaurus as they say.