The Susan G. Komen Foundation cut their funding for Planned Parenthood last week and to no surprise, this didn't go unnoticed. People took to social media with an endless barrage of hate toward the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the United States. Throughout the past 5 years, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has donated money for over 170,000 breast exams at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. What has changed? Why did they cut funding? And why did they reverse their decision in nearly 36 hours?
Right now, every finger points at Karen Handel, a Republican who at one time ran for governor in Georgia and then called for a "defunding" of Planned Parenthood. "I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood," said Handel. With this controversy and public outcry, Handel immediately "stepped down," the $700,000 was instantly re-instated. The part that doesn't make sense to me, is the fact that this funding has been going on for the past 5 years. How did a women's organization for women, let this happen?
What ever happened to a secular organization not tainted by politics or a fictitious bible? Moral people make moral decisions, not decisions that hurt so many women by eliminating their breast cancer screenings. I can understand that there are many issues associated with Planned Parenthood, when it comes to their view on abortion but none of the $700,000 Komen was donating was even going to abortion. Not only did the Susan G. Komen Foundation lose a lot of money from potential donors, they lost my respect and they most certainly lost yours.
When two leading women's organizations butt heads the only people that suffer are the very women they are supposedly taking care of. It seems that this organization lacked a leader with common sense; didn't they know by cutting funding they would be cutting out support from a slew of their donors. Just look at the PR nightmare Komen started on
#Twitter.
Bryan Calabro
Integrative Media/Communication Studies
Wilkes 2013
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