In FY 2009 Komen affiliates contributed about $7.5 million to programs sponsored by Planned Parenthood. “That $7.5 million is less than one percent of the entire amount of community grant funding that affiliates around the country contribute,” Hammarley said.You can read the rest of it, including the Komen organization's defense, here.
But to people like Bordlee, the amount is insignificant. It is the principle of it. “No matter whether they are giving $500,000 a year to Planned Parenthood, or $5, people who respect the dignity of human life and are trying to save people with disease don’t want any part of their money going to an organization that is subsidizing an abortion provider,” she said.
In addition to the funding concerns, many in the pro-life community argue that abortions actually increase women’s risk for breast cancer and are horrified that Komen denies that risk.
Karen Malec, president and co-founder of the Coalition on Abortion/ Breast Cancer, told TheDC that Planned Parenthood is complicit in the breast cancer epidemic for just that reason. According to Malec, it is well established that abortion can cause breast cancer. “Their gifts to Planned Parenthood are comparable to the American Lung Society giving funds to Brown and Williamson Company…..to screen for lung cancer,” she said.
I think the Komen organization became the politically correct disease foundation of choice for those who want to show they care and be part of the in crowd, much as wearing the red ribbon for AIDS was a required accessory in the 80's and 90's. However, the Komen foundation may have grown beyond their real purpose and perhaps it's time to recognize there are a lot of other organizations dealing with equally deadly diseases that deserve support.
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Effective immediately, we will be doing a careful review of where our voluntary charity money goes.
This is just awful.
How disappointing.
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