| The drama surrounding the Komen Foundation’s announcement they would cut off funding to Planned Parenthood continues to develop, even as I write this.
On Tuesday, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which works to cure breast cancer, announced a change in their policies that would exclude any organization under congressional investigation from receiving funding. This decision meant that Planned Parenthood, which is currently under investigation by the House Oversight and Investigation Committee, would no longer receive hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from Komen. While pro-life advocates praised Komen, and showed their support by increasing donations to the organization by 100% over two days, Planned Parenthood lashed out against them. The reaction from the pro-abortion crowd has been outrageous. It can only be defined as bullying at its worst. Komen’s website was hacked and Planned Parenthood led the attacks. Then this morning Komen released this statement, creating confusion regarding the exact position Komen is taking. While some on the pro-abortion side have hailed this as a victory claiming they have forced Komen to reverse their position, others are saying not-so-fast. Komen’s statement is not necessarily changing any of their original positions. Supposedly, if Planned Parenthood is found guilty of any of the charges in the Congressional investigation, they will not fund the abortion giant. My message to Komen is “fish or cut bait.” Komen has a clear right course of action – deny Planned Parenthood funding because they are not in the business of saving lives, but destroying them. Planned Parenthood has activated their base and is in full attack mode. We need to send a positive message to the Komen Foundation and pray they have courage and boldness during this time. |
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Not Standing Idly By
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| The Obama administration’s announcement that all employers must cover birth control in company health insurance plans, regardless of any religious beliefs underscores the very real threat in our nation today to the First Amendment’s free exercise of religion guarantee. It’s simply outrageous and very wrong to put a woman’s so-called right or even need for an employer to pay for and provide birth control pills above a religious group’s or individual’s religious beliefs. Thankfully, religious leaders and elected officials are speaking out.
Phoenix Diocese Bishop Thomas Olmstead sent a letter to be read at all Masses in the Diocese of Phoenix saying the diocese would not “comply with this unjust law” and that “people of faith cannot be made second class citizens.” In D.C., Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to stop the Obama administration from forcing a number of organizations to make the false choice to either compromise their religious beliefs or face persecution from the government. |
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Wait No More Just a Week Away
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| Over 350 children in Arizona today need a forever home. Perhaps you or a friend is interested in adopting a child in need. I urge you today to plan to join CAP on February 11 at Scottsdale Bible Church for the Wait No More Conference. This conference is a great first step for anyone thinking about blessing a child with a permanent home. Click here for more details! |
About Center for Arizona Policy
Recognizing reality and responding to the complaints of many, on Friday night the organization reversed course and restored Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood, which has used the Komen money to provide breast cancer screening and education to thousands of low-income women.
“We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives,” Ms. Brinker, the Republican donor who founded the organization in memory of her sister, said in a statement.
But here is the relevant section:
“We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities. “
I was delighted to see the the leadership at Komen realized that breast cancer isn’t a political issue. Prolife organizations like CAP need to stay focusd on the naughty parts and keep breasts out of politics.
Do you think that abortion constitutes “naughty parts”, Nordine, because Planned Parenthood does abortions. You seem to have missed that part. Perhaps individuals like you need to stay focused on the “naughty parts”, like abortion. ‘Ya think?
There seems to be some confusion here. Let’s clear things up.
The Komen Foundation works to cure and prevent cancer, including breast cancer. Planned Parenthood provides cancer screenings including screenings for breast cancer. It would seem to make sense then that the Komen Foundation should provide funding to Planned Parenthood as part of their efforts to prevent cancer, especially breast cancer. So what is wrong with the Komen Foundation providing money to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings?
The first issue is what constitutes a Planned Parenthood breast cancer screening.
“…Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards recently appeared on The Joy Behar Show to oppose the Pence Amendment to end Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer subsidies, claiming, ‘If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are gonna lose their healthcare access — not to abortion services — to basic family planning, you know, mammograms.”
So it sounds like Planned Parenthood offers mammograms. It doesn’t.
“Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses teach patients about breast care, connect patients to resources to help them get vital biopsies, ultrasounds, and mammograms, and follow up to make sure patients are cared for with the attention they need and deserve.”
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/womens-health/breast-cancer-screenings-21189.htm
So Planned Parenthood doesn’t even claim to offer mammograms but rather it offers to connect patients to resources to help them get mammograms.
“We don’t provide those services whatsoever,” admits a staffer at Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Planned Parenthood’s Comprehensive Health Center clinic in Overland Park, KS explains to the caller, “We actually don’t have a, um, mammogram machine, at our clinics”, the news release said.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/planned-parenthood-challenged-on-purported-mammogram-claim/2011/03/30/AFjCFO3B_story.html
So what sort of breast cancer screening does Planned Parenthood offer? They perform a physical exam.
“Those clinical breast exams are controversial — government advisers don’t endorse them.”
http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20120204/US.MED.Planned.Parenthood.Who.It.Helps/?cid=rssfeed&attr=article_news_general_US.MED.Planned.Parenthood.Who.It.Helps
So yes, Planned Parenthood offers breast exams and referrals for further testing. That is a good and positive thing and may save lives. Planned Parenthood does not, however, provide mammograms. So of the $75,000,000 per year in federal monies which Planned Parenthood has been scheduled to receive, none of those federal monies go directly to provide mammograms.
Now we come to the “big issue”. Planned Parenthood performs abortions. So what? Federal money isn’t going to fund abortions. The money from the Komen Foundation is to support cancer screenings, not abortions. The classic agrument is that monies provided to Planned Parenthood for non-abortion services frees up funds to be used for abortions. That may be true but I’m not sure how compelling that argument really is. So what’s the issue?
Planned Parenthood performs abortions. On the one hand it saves lives through it’s cancer screenings. How many lives have actually been saved in this manner we do not know. We do know, however, that from 1970 through the end of 2009 that Planned Parenthood has performed 5,320,095 medical and surgical abortions. To put this number in perspective, the total number of U. S. combat deaths from 1775 to present is estimated to be approximately 848,163. When we consider the number of life-ending abortions performed by Planned Parenthood, there is little doubt that it’s actions have resulted in a very large net loss of life. This is especially true regarding the services which Planned Parenthood provides to pregnant women.
Of pregnant women presenting to Planned Parenthood for services, less than 2.4% receive non-abortion services including prenatal care and adoption services. 97.6% of these women receive abortions.
I see this issue primarily as a political one. There is little doubt that Planned Parenthood has become the “poster child” for “a woman’s right to choose” and that is what the flap is really all about. The practical question, as opposed to symbolism, is whether or not contributions should be made to an organization which performs abortions, regardless of what other services it may provide. That is a political, moral and ethical decision which each reader must make for themselves.
If one opposes abortion then the question is what position to take when an organization does both good and bad things. Can the two be separated or does the organization, Planned Parenthood, need to be entirely condemned? The question underlying this is, is it really necessary for cancer screenings to be provided through government and private funds going to an organization which performs abortions? Clearly, it is not. Why do monies for cancer screenings need to go to an organization which performs abortions? Is there no other means of providing these services? If not, why not?
As a Conservative and someone who opposes abortion, my perspective is that non-abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood serve as a cover for that organization, muddying the waters. There is no question that cancer screenings for low income women can be provided by other means, through other entities which do not perform abortions. The question is, why is that not the case?