Every year you hear it, a voice comes on the TV instructing you to “Save Lids, Save Lives.” That every pink lid you collect Yoplait will make a donation to Susan G. Komen For The Cure. According to Yoplait’s own web site these fundraisers have brought in over $30 million. In fact, Susan G Komen For The Cure is known as the largest breast cancer organization in the entire country. You would think that their primary goal then would be to raise as much money as they could and then use that money for breast cancer research and prevention. It seems, however, that Komen has a different objective, one that outweighs their desire to make breast cancer a thing of the past. But politics meant more than prevention this week to the Komen Foundation as they made an announcement: They will be pulling all funding from Planned Parenthood.
To some on the right side of the political spectrum this may make sense. They may have the illusion that this foundation is actually doing something good. But the bitter reality is that this foundation just left thousands, possibly millions, of women without the ability to get breast exams and mammograms. And without the ability to get screenings and preventative care, some women will likely die. Planned Parenthood clinics across the country provide vital screening and diagnostic services to those who cannot afford a clinic. And cancer, unlike political leaning, does not seem to change whether you have billions of dollars or just a few. In 2011, several states also defunded Planned Parenthood.
It is a fact that only three percent of Planned Parenthood services are abortion related. The rest of their services? Well these are things that are vital, especially given that many Planned Parenthood clinics are in low income areas. They provide a whole list of non-abortion services including but not limited to, birth control, sexual health education, STD diagnosis and treatment, breast and other cancer diagnosis and prevention. In fact, in many communities, Planned Parenthood is the only place a person can go to learn about sex education. Educating children with accurate information is the first step towards preventing unwanted pregnancies. Unfortunately for all women, Susan G. Komen For The Cure, may have just signed their death wish and death warrants for unknown numbers of low and moderate income women who have no health insurance. The stories are out there. I personally know an individual that only survived breast cancer because Planned Parenthood caught it early. So next time you hear someone attempt to justify cutting funding for this vital organization by using religion, tell them what they’re really doing. Signing a death wish for the poor. Sounds real “Christian” to me!
Jeremy Ryan
Executive Director
Defending Wisconsin PAC
jryan@defendingwisconsin.org
[Editor's Note: Donations made through this post go to the author, not the website]
Note: Segway Jeremy Ryan has become a full-time member of the protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Formerly a businessman, he gave up his business to join the fight for the middle class in the State of Wisconsin. Through videos and writings he has informed hundreds of thousands of people about what was going on at the Wisconsin State Capitol once the mainstream media had mostly abandoned the protests. His full-time activism is completely funded by the people. If you would like to help out please click here.
Any good reporter would take this as a screaming alert to investigate Komen.
That’s the LAST time I buy yoplait….
All forms of cancer are political. Many are caused by fat-soluble toxins, residing comfortably in our environment, courtesy of lax enforcement of EPA policies. Curing cancer is a hard sell – you can cut it away, poison it, or burn it with radiation; but cancer is DNA on a binge. How do we “cure” our own DNA? My dad was strangled to death by squamous cell carcinoma, after nine surgeries over thirty years. The aggravating factor – and the one easiest to address – was mom’s four pack a day cigarette habit. She refused to quit smoking; her four-way bypass added 9 days to her life. Dad lasted a little over three more years. His doctor commented, “One the genetic trigger is pulled, there’s no cure. Only treatment.” “Curing” cancer would only derail the pharmaceutical/hospital/research/charity gravy train.