This week, Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced it would stop funding Planned Parenthood, a move critics have charged is politically motivated, not to mention short-sighted. The funding Komen gave to Planned Parenthood — reportedly $680,000 last year — provided low-income women with breast screening exams, a total of some 170,000 since 2005.
According to Komen, the organization recently implemented a policy to halt funding for groups that are under investigation by local, state and federal authorities; last fall, Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida launched an inquiry into Planned Parenthood to determine if public money was improperly spent on abortions, prompting Komen’s decision to defund.
To be sure, Stearns is opposed to abortion rights, and has repeatedly voted to limit access to abortion, as well as to specifically defund Planned Parenthood. (Not surprisingly, he also voted against the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act and subsequent efforts to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.)
It’s unclear if Komen adopted the policy specifically for Planned Parenthood, or if it had general concerns over misuse of funds by grantees.
While the money that Komen gives to Planned Parenthood affiliates may not amount to much in the grand scheme — Koman had $350 million in revenue in fiscal year 2010 — the damage it has done to its brand will be hard to repair, if executives even want to.
(For clarity, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania does not receive funding from Susan G. Komen, and does not have a relationship with the organization.)
Though it’s not universal, it’s certainly fair to say that the LGBT community is far more likely to support abortion rights than to oppose them — even if lesbians and bisexuals are less likely to need abortion services themselves.
Likewise, those who support abortion rights are more likely to support LGBT causes.
Which brings us back to Komen. Though research has not been definitive, lesbians have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. They are also less likely to be screened for breast cancer and less likely to have adequate health insurance.
Though critics of Planned Parenthood often decry its abortion services, they rarely discuss the general women’s health services the organization provides — such as breast cancer screening and ob-gyn exams.
It’s disheartening that an organization committed to women’s health would bow to right-wing pressure, instead of standing up and fighting on behalf of women.
Perhaps abortion rights aren’t part of Komen’s mission, but women’s health sure as hell is.
If Komen has truly bowed to right-wing pressure, shame on the organization for putting politics above women’s health.