Fallout beginning at Koman

I really feel that last week marked the beginning of the end for Komen.

Planned Parenthood takes part in ending the lives of 300,000 babies a year.  I wonder if they'll start keeping track of the non-profits they kill, as well.

Most of all, it is sad that all of this went down under the guise of fighting for women's health care.  If Komen's doors shut, I believe the effect to women's health care is going to be much worse then any assumed effect from PP losing funding from Komen.

With thousands now estranged and pledged to support PP or other charities, maybe Komen  can survive, on what I think will be a much smaller scale, on the donations from people who would not give to it before because of the funding provided to PP.  That way the donors and the now exposed political intentions of Komen will be aligned.  Should make Komen and those donors happy.

Hope Komen learned a lesson, although it may be too late.

I feel that Planned Parenthood main purpose is to provide abortions. They are a very powerful organization as evidenced by the reversal of Komen's decision to fund Planned Parenthood. Komen is a private organization and should be able to fund or not fund any group they want without the overwhelming pressure from government officials of all people! (this is scary stuff!) Faye33 is right about the 300,000 abortions provided by Planned Parenthood per year. I think the Komen grants could be put to use by other organizations that benefit women's health and have nothing do the elective ending of life. Trying to save women from death from cancer and killing babies does not jive with me at all!

She may have been the VP in charge of policy.  But she could not have implemented the policy -- and the obfuscation and the public lies -- without people at the executive level who have the same political agenda that she had.  Komen has to get rid of the rest of that ilk or decide that the political intentions are the way to go from here forward, keep the insiders who want it to go in that direction, get rid of any objectors and then go out into the public arena begging for support from those whose primary interest is the political intention.  There are supporters here who never gave to Komen because of the PP connection and we delighted to open their checkbooks when Handel severed it.  Now they are pissed because it was all a great mistake on Komen's part or that's Komen's take on it.  But were the connection severed again they would offer support.  It might be a lot smaller and have less to offer in the way of support for research or clinical programs.  But it would exist in a different -- and more honest -- form.

I do not understand how people can state that Planned Parenthood's main purpose is to provide abortions when only 3% of the services they provide are abortion.  I think their main purpose is to provide women with contraceptive services.  That prevents abortion.

Komen's decision was political and they lied about their motivations.  Many women will not trust them after that. 

I will not support Komen because of the small amount of revenue they allocate to research (~ amout 24% last year & the amount of revenues that go toward administrative costs 20%).  Most of the funds they raise don't go directly to women, for screening or for breast cancer treatment, but to education and awareness.   Enough with awareness - I want to see research aimed at prevention and/or a cure.   

Its going to take a real effort to recoup the goodwill they have lost. Do you think there is a way to help all those 'casual contributors' who may have been alienated to keep giving?

lisa-e,

people continue to say things about PP that are not true, because it suits their purpose. Nice try correcting, but you won't change the incorrect information.  

I agree with you, would love to see more of Komen money going to scientific research, a higher % of their revenue - meanwhile, they do give more than $70,000,000. a year to scientific reseach, with excellent experienced oncologists directing the grants - while maybe not the % we'd want donated, it's still a HUGE, HUGE amount of money going to scientific research.

I have walked in the Susan G. Komen 3 day for the last 3 years and plan to walk this year.  Though I am unhappy with all that transpired last week and continues this week, I do think that the one good thing that will come of it is that Komen and donors have the opportunity to take a long, hard look at why certain charities are important to them.  I think the mission of Planned Parenthood is important (no, not abortion...providing healthcare for uninsured and underinsured women-abortion is a paltry 3% of their services). but for me, my priorities are Research and Education so Komen still fits the bill.

I know many people who pulled funding from SGK and sent their funds to PP.  I say good for them for examining their priorities and coming to the right conclusion for them.  PP does good things, but they aren't curing cancer.  I will continue to raise money for SGK so they can do the work of curing cancer.  Yes, 24% is a "smallish" piece of the pie to dedicate to research.  But its a big pie so dedicating 70 million in research grants a year is pretty impressive.  If you look at other charities that only have the power to raise 100 million per year and even if they dedicate 50% of their funds to research, it is still less than SGK.

Perfect solution?  No.  Is 70 million better than a sharp stick in the eye?  Absolutely. I hope they take the opportunity to review their priorities so all of us who do choose to raise money for them feel good about where our $'s are going.

Slavery used to be legal. Where would we be today if no one took a stand against slavery?



Just because it is legal, does not make it right.

Maybe Handle can go start a PAC for the most rabidly anti-choice GOP candidate running. That would probably be Santorum. As long as she's out of bc I do not care what she does.

The problems @ Komen are far deeper than the PP episode:

http://www.minnpost.com/healthblog/2012/02/03/34819/planned_parenthood_controversy_also_exposes_komens_corporate_problem#.TzE_90d5-TR.facebook

As far as a "cure," as Dr. Susan Love says, how can we cure something when we don't understand what causes it?    Deanna

My observation is that SGK money should go to cancer reseach to find a cure since that is why they were formed.  I really don't see the purpose in funding other organizations that don't have much to do with cancer research or cure.  It is my understanding that PP is well funded so they would do OK without the SGK money.  Why did PP make such a public stink about it?

Any privately funded organization should be able to choose where it puts the money.  PP's strong arm tactics were wrong.

Kathy