Fallout beginning at Koman
Comments
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Given Komen numbers and the claim of intention, one would think a far greater amount of the funds raised would be invested in research. But they are not. One has to wonder about an organization which does not put its money where it says its intentions are.
The purpose and intention of PP is different: it is not in the business of cancer research generally or breast cancer research or therapies more specifically.
PP didn't raise a stink. The facts are otherwise. Hundreds of thousands of private citizens raised a stink when Komen made a public announcement. The outrage had nothing at all to do with where Komen chooses to put its money. But it had everything to do with deceptive internal practices regarding funding policies which Komen unmasked on its own.
Can't blame the listeners for the content of the speech.
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I want to make two comments:
- I think that this whole incident will be helpful to Komen. To me, their message had become more "pink" than crystal clear. So a bit of redefining will be helpful in the long run.
- In the "abortions" argument, I think we forget about "safe". A big, big point. Desperate women will get abortions anyway. And if we made abortion illegal tomorrow, it would not change this. Just increase the number of women who die from this procedure.
I know that this country is polarized on this issue, and I am somewhere in between. I am horrified by the choice some women made, but I am also a realist. The real contribution of Planned Parenthood is to reduce deaths for women from all causes. That is major. I think too that their primary mission has changed over time, but their name does not reflect this.
Their real contribution at this point is to increase access for women to all types of health services, with gynocological being their primary focus. They really are a safety net for underinsured women in this country.
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Excellent post Claire! I agree with all of your thoughts. But I like it even more because this is a very good description of PP services for women. I thought the pie charts were clear enough for those thinking PP was all about abortion but quite obviously not as shown by those who continue to post false information. Perhaps your explanation will make it more clear to those who don't understand that.
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I like it - More Research - Less Pink. We need to get that message to SGK.
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http://www.lifenews.com/2012/02/07/planned-parenthood-used-social-media-to-crush-komen/
Here's a column I feel accurately describes how planned parenthood played dirty last week.
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Faye- It's difficult for me to take as truth an article from a Pro Life News site. I am all about hearing both sides but not from a site so biased. IMO- it's the same as watching Fox news and believing those clowns tell the truth. How about something from a neutral site?
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If the women who responded to any request for ACTION, didn't agree with the action, I'm sure no one would have done anything. That PP for generations has been the SAFETY NET for poor women, or women with no health insurance to get gynecological care, breast exams, and FREE REFERRALS when needed for mammograms is why so many felt betrayed, when an organization for which many have run, worked, raised funds for - saying they were committd to providing women with access to breast care with draws funds from a group they've been funding FOR YEARS -
why would anyone be surprised that women acted????
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REKoz - thanks for explaining why I wouldn't even read it...
really tired of women attacking PP for all the good work they do for women who need help, and have NO OTHER PLACE TO GET IT - they are preventing breast cancer with screening, and free referrals for mammograms when needed. How many times does that have to be said...
I'm done....
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I did not hear about this from Planned Parenthood. I saw the Komen announcement on the news and immediately went to PP's website because it made me angry and I wanted to make a donation to help PP continue to provide those services. The only communication I have received from PP was a thank you for that donation.
Nor were any of the posts about it on my Facebook page from Planned Parenthood.
PP could have and maybe would have launched a counter offensive ... but they didn't have to because we did it for them. It may suit Komen's purpose to pretend this was all set in motion by PP but that does not make it true.
Edited to add ... it is not 'playing dirty' to advise your supporters of factual information anyway.
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Barbara Boxer leads campaign for women's rights following the fallout of Komen and their funding of Planned Parenthood.
"The strong public outcry in response to the Susan G. Komen Foundation's decision to defund Planned Parenthood last week -- which they later reversed -- shows how powerful we can be when we come together," says an email expected to be sent Wednesday by Gillibrand's office and obtained by The Huffington Post.
"Our right-wing opponents continue to launch attack after attack against women's rights, women's health, and women's economic security -- and we've got to fight back every single day," the appeal argues.
"The next battle over the Obama administration's decision to make contraception more affordable under the new health care law is already underway," it says, referring to a White House decision to require most employers to include birth control coverage in their insurance plans. "It's hard to believe that in the 21st century we have to fight for access to birth control, but that is the fact -- and there will be many more fights in the weeks ahead."
One fight as recently as Tuesday in the House of Representatives was over a Republican bill that aims to extend civil rights to fetuses, barring doctors from performing abortions if the physician thinks the woman is seeking to end a pregnancy because of sex or race.
"Our opponents tried to defund Planned Parenthood, in the federal budget and in many states. They tried to destroy our Medicare and Medicaid lifelines, which would be particularly devastating to women," the email says. "They tried to get the Susan G. Komen Foundation to cut off support for Planned Parenthood."
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For a Party that continually advocates for less government interference and fewer regulatory laws for the populace in general, the GOP certainly demonstrates the opposite when it comes to women's lives. I just can't make sense of it. Now that so many, many women have stood up for what they feel is right for them and for their sisters, I commend these Senators for taking a leadership role in keeping them together and standing up to those who prefer to put women in their place -- cooks in the kitchen, diaper-changers in the nursery and vixens in the bedroom!
Over and out!
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REKoz - I'll do some more looking around and see what I can find. I can understand how you feel that the column is biased... I feel that way reading a lot of liberal articles. I try and pull out facts (not opinions) from such articles.
Sunflowers - My goal was not to attack PP for the good they do. I was pointing out how it appears to me (and obviously others) PP played this up to make money off of it. Disregarding information after you heard (read) it, is fine. Disregarding it before you even read it, is IMO, unfair.
WhiteRabbit - I've looked and looked for sources and media stories which report Komen breaking the news they were cutting funding from PP. Every source I've found (even liberal sources) credit the breaking news to PP. Could you please show me where Komen announced it? That would definitely make me reconsider my viewpoint. Also, from what I can find, PP knew about Komen cutting funding since mid-December. It appears to me they took the time to set up their plan of attack, and then "BAM" hit Komen when they weren't looking. Maybe it didn't work out that way, but that is what it appears to me to be. That would explain why Komen seemed so ill prepared for it all.
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Here is a youtube in response to the original announcement that Komen was pulling funding. Brave lady! She takes the politics/religion etc out of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZwpSwm_4as&feature=youtu.beCopy and paste the link. I don't know how to make it a hyperlink on here
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Komen didn't make the announcement that they were cutting funding to PP because they thought that they could do this without much hoopla, particularly since the funding PP receives is so small compared to the amount of money SGK gives away in grants.
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hillck - I think you may be misunderstanding my concern. I can't find anywhere that Komen announced their new policy (or even commented when it was first released to the media). Everything I can find is PP telling everyone about Komen said and did. It appears to me that PP is the one who went to the media with the story.
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if I was the komen foundation, I'd take this opportunity to reacquaint myself with the desires of the people who steer all of this money toward them. If they would change their financing structure to support more research and less awareness, people might get over this PP issue and begin supporting them again. I don't see how this problem goes away for them unless they make a drastic change that re-endears themselves to their supporters. I'm in the middle on the PP issue, but hearing it all just gets me fired up about the money raised that does not go towards a "cure".
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The meme given that PP acted in some unethical manner has nothing to do with facts. Some will go to any lengths to blame PP and, more importantly the outrage of the public at large, for the self-inflicted disaster Komen bombed on itself. Just because some, like Handel, say the whole thing was the fault of someone other than Komen and its own people, doesn't mean anyone has to buy that assertion in any way related to fact.
Dirty tricks? Komen blind sided? PP pounced on the Komen announcement? Facts can be found somewhere in a opinion piece from an organization which is known for its position whereby compelled and compulsory pregnancy is enforced by criminal penalities? Presumably everyone reading here has CANCER. Who has time to read biased material which does not give unqualified support every woman's interest in access to competent medical care which could prove to be life saving! And by extension: every woman's interest in having every other woman treated at least equally well.
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OH bcisnofun, I HEAR YOU loud and clear! To redistribute the % of funds! Is that not what we all want? More $ dumped into research so discoveries like Herceptin were not too far and between. Whether or not you're left, right or in the middle, it is DEFINITIVE causes/treatments to put an end to this beast that has attacked all of us. Preventing future generations of WOMEN ( ie: our DAUGHTERS and their DAUGHTERS) from this fate can only come out of more research.
With that in mind, I am compelled to say that WTHeck does it matter? Abortion doesn't even belong in the discussion regarding how to go about getting these things done. I am also in the middle as far as that goes but so what? There are testaments on this very site of women beyond grateful to PP for discovering their lump and being referred to medical facilities where they could be seen. Limited list of facilities- because they couldn't afford it!
Just read one story like that and how could anyone NOT see the value?? They may do abortions but they also SAVE a sister! With $ funded by Koman! There's your religion folksI It's caring about another human being-figuratively standing before you needing help to fight the disease you have in common. Though brought up Catholic, slamming the door in her face does not feel like religion to me.
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"Presumably everyone reading here has CANCER. Who has time to read biased material which does not give unqualified support every woman's interest in access to competent medical care which could prove to be life saving! And by extension: every woman's interest in having every other woman treated at least equally well."
Hear Hear! Well said Pompeed! One day I may learn to be less long winded!
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Wish we could drum up the same fury and backlash out too few of their dollars going to research, enough to make them cave in a week!
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Kinda off the subject but need to vent about SGK. Does anyone else have issuses with the fact that you need to have I belive its $1,500 in pledges to take part in the three day walks? I, personialy don't have that kind of money nor do I have friends with that kind of money so I'm basically shut out of the event. I feel this is deploriable being that breast caner doesn't just effect the wealthy. Comments please.
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Well said, REKoz.
The funds were earmarked to serve the cause of women's breast health and, with that, the cause of reducing the incidence of death from breat cancer. Nothing else. And that result is exactly how the funds were used: the provision of medical care for women in need.
I wonder why women who have CANCER -- and that's everyone reading here -- can object to that result. When it might very well save other women from the same fate. One of those women may turn out to be one's own sister or daughter or granddaughter or neice or daughter-in-law or the daughter of one's best friend.
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Trotting along is OK provided you bring the cash minimum. Pay to play.
There are plenty of other options for people to make contributions which serve the cause of breast cancer.
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Karen Handel's about as unprofessional as it gets. Reminds me of Wolfowitz and his crybaby attitude in the World Bank scandal. Lose gracefully I say! And as former VP of public policy sHandel was surprisingly tone deaf if she thought Komen could sneak this bit of politics by and call it a grant eligibility issue without anyone smelling a rat. I'm curious to see which K Street firm will hire her to lobby Capitol Hill.
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Agree with you bcisnofun ...
Interesting reading here. While Komen has been busily suing little charities about the 'for the cure' slogan they have in fact been reducing the percentage of their funds spent for research. 29% in 2008 ... 15% in 2011.
"In 2011, the foundation spent 15 percent, or $63 million, of its donations on research awards that fund studies on everything from hard-core molecular biology to the quality of breast-cancer care for Medicaid patients.That proportion was down from 17 percent in 2009 and 2010. In 2008, that percentage reached 29 percent of donations."
"In absolute terms, Komen is a leader in funding breast cancer research among private organizations. The $63 million it granted in 2011 pales beside the estimated $763 million spent by the National Institutes of Health in 2011 and the $150 million budgeted by the Department of Defense in 2012."
Full article here ... http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/us-usa-healthcare-komen-research-idUSTRE8171KW20120208
Yes grandmarose it does make me cringe to think that a breast cancer survivor/patient who can't raise enough money is shut out. I understand that those walks are fund raisers but it still bothers me.
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My main complaint about komen has been the amount of money they pay their top people .... Lot of miles walked to generate a half a million dollars for CEO .....
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I'm confused. Couldnt the people who wanted their donations to go to PP just send it to PP? Why do some feel the need to send their money to SGK and have them send it to PP? Please explain.
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There have been lots and lots of discussion on that issue. If you take a look at all the Komen threads I'm sure you will find it all interesting reading.
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I have been reading ALL the threads and it turns my stomach....this reminds me of where I used to work.(flashback)
I said this right from the start....Komen is speeding on that KARMA train.GOIN DOWN.
It all caught up to them just like it caught up to the largest insurance firm in America and many greedy bastards who only think of the almighty $$$$$$$$$$.
The bigger they are the more greed you see.....
As the time goes by you will see more and more problems arise.i never liked Komen and i have no use for them now.....
The cure is for everyone not just Komen.SBK is probably turning over in her grave
i hope im not offending anyone.It just makes me soooo angry.
end of rant.FIND A DAMN CURE/VACINE...ENUF!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wow annettetek. I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.
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