Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood: Pro-Life People Should be Warned

Life News ^ | 5/24/10 | Hannah Carter

[wagglebee]

LifeNews.com Note: Hannah Carter is the director of education for Georgia Right to Life, a statewide pro-life group. This opinion column originally appeared on the GRTL blog web site.

Like many families, my grandmother and great-grandmother both had breast cancer. The issue of wanting to fight what harms your family or friends is noble. So when I tell people that I do not support Susan G. Komen an organization that exists to “fight breast cancer”, I normally get the look of one: why would you abandon your family or two: oh there goes one of those extremist.

However, my reasons are not that extreme, but rather principled.

I'm sure many of you reading this article have also been confronted with the issue of if I ‘m pro-life then how can I support an organization that supports the nation’s leading abortion provider. Hopefully, the following principles can shed some light on how to respond sympathetically, yet firm with why you cannot wear pink, or join the race, or all the various ways that Susan G. Komen is supported.

Principle # 1 Don't give to organizations that promote the shedding of innocent blood.

If this were a list of commandments, we could start with Thou Shall Not Kill. However, Proverbs 6:17 states that one of the seven things God hates are hands that shed innocent blood.

Unfortunately, Susan G. Komen has given over $3 million dollars between 2003 and 2008 to Planned Parenthood which is the nation’s leading abortion provider.

While Susan G. Komen makes claims that these grants go for breast exams, once the funds go to Planned Parenthood they are fungible. For example, you can throw two twenty dollar bills into a purse one from a friend and one from your own account, but when you go to pay the light bill you use both.

The same is true with Planned Parenthood’s money it receives from Komen. Whenever someone applies for a grant they can say that while this $5,000 is going to breast cancer research, 20 percent of that money is going to pay for administrative costs like keeping the lights on and paying rent. So in essence, the money that people are raising to fight breast cancer is also going to keep the lights on at Planned Parenthood.

According to the 2008 Annual Report from Planned Parenthood, breast cancer services decreased by 4% and abortion procedures increased by 6%. In 2008, Susan G. Komen gave $731,000 to Planned Parenthood.

Principle # 2 Know and Recognize the Risk Factors for the Disease You are Trying to Prevent.

There are certain risks that can increase an individual’s chance of getting breast cancer. While Susan G. Komen says that they believe in knowing your risk factors, they have repeatedly denied the link between breast cancer and one of the greatest avoidable risk factors, abortion.

According to Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, “29 out of 38 worldwide epidemiological studies show an increased risk of breast cancer of approximately 30% among women who have had an abortion.”

When a woman has an abortion she interrupts the natural process of estrogen production and breast development. When a woman first becomes pregnant her body produces a Type 1 carcinogen, cancer causing agent, estrogen in order to nourish and provide for the baby. If the mother has her child, her body stops producing as much estrogen and her breasts mature. However, if that process is interrupted, the estrogen production continues and her breasts stay in an immature state, making them more susceptible to breast cancer.

Groups like Susan G. Komen acknowledge that the level of exposure to estrogen throughout a woman’s lifetime is one of the greatest predictors for breast cancer. Sadly, they do not acknowledge that the increased exposure to estrogen after an abortion could increase risks of breast cancer as well. For an organization whose primary goal is “to have a world without breast cancer”, you would think they would try to let women know of all the risk factors for breast cancer, especially those that are preventable like abortion.

Recently, in an article by Jill Stanek, pro-life author and blogger, asked a very thought-provoking question, “Is it really “morally permissible” to cause breast cancer in one room if screening for it in the next?”

Stanek also noted in her article that recently that the ties between Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen are running deeper and deeper. See an excerpt below from Stanek’s article:

Three days ago a diligent pro-lifer in Washington state discovered on Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest’s IRS 990 forms that it has held a 12.5 percent share in Metro Centre, a mall in Peoria, Ill., since 2006. PPGNW is Washington’s largest abortion provider. (It is also currently under investigation for Medicaid fraud.) Metro Centre is owned by Eric Brinker. Eric Brinker is the son of Nancy Goodman Brinker, the founder of SGK.

Eric also sits on SGK’s board. Eric was a stand-up guy and responded to most of my initial questions. He explained in an e-mail, “This share represents a minority, non-operating interest in the business which they inherited from one of the original shareholders, a resident of Peoria. I, Eric Brinker, have controlling interest in Metro Centre.” But when I pursued follow-up questions, Eric wrote he was no longer available. So there is much still unanswered. Why didn't PPGNW cash in its inheritance? Why didn't Eric buy? If the share was willed, it was worth something. The real-estate market was thriving in 2006. It appears both partners are OK with this now four-year-old business partnership.

In essence, Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen’s nephew own a mall together.

The bottom line is that Susan G. Komen is not accomplishing its mission every time it gives to Planned Parenthood.

Every time a woman has an abortion and part of the money to fund that center staying open came from Komen, they are putting women at a greater risk for breast cancer.

Every organization no matter how noble the cause they claim to represent seems to be needs to be held accountable.

The question is will you?

To continue your search for the ties between Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood, please visit:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Awards 72 Grants to Planned Parenthood

Komen Giving to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Down as Donations Drop

Planned Parenthood Deepens Link to Breast Cancer Group

Susan G. Komen’s List of Grants to Planned Parenthood

Studies about the Link between Abortion and Breast Cancer

Report: Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood: A Visible Link

[redgolum]

This thread is sad, but funny.

PP doesn't perform mammograms. They don't have the equipment.

[metmom]

Probably kickbacks.

There’s got to be a money trail in there some how.

I guess if they succeed in preventing or curing breast cancer, then their existence is no longer justified and they’re out jobs.

[metmom]

Komen’s statement.....

“As transcribed from a recording of the meeting, CRTL asked, “Why aren’t women being told about the most preventable risk factor?” to which Komen’s Brandorff answered, “We tend to focus on the cure... we’re focusing our energies on that, rather than the preventative.””

http://kgov.com/bel/20081002

IOW, they don’t really care if women get breast cancer. If they did, they’d work on preventing it and would not be supporting the biggest contributor to breast cancer.

But then if people stopped getting breast cancer, they wouldn’t be needed any more. So they have to keep breast cancer going so the money keeps flowing.

Can’t have the gravy train derailed, now can we?

All those Komenites might just have to get out into the real world and WORK for a living instead of sucking off the donations of well meaning people.

[metmom]

Why don’t they work on prevention instead of wasting money screening the lowest risk population - women of child bearing age who go to PP?

[Eagle Eye]

Open the PDF and it is about the third paragraph down. My ass-umption is that if RC heathcare ethicists have reviewed Komen and 'blessed' them so to speak, they're good to go. Komen isn't hiding from this issue at all and none of this is being done in the dark, so the powers that be have had every opportunity to review the ethicist's findings and repudiate them if required. But they haven't. I don't give money to komen or participate in their events but for different reasons. St. Jude's is my primary charity, although in the 90's I was a supporter of a local crisis pregnancy center and met Cal Thomas at one of the fund raisers. He's much taller than I expected! A few years later I find myself standing in front of a couple of 'woman's health clinics' in Pensacola with local Catholics (I'm NOT Catholic) protesting and demonstrating. I did that many times over the years I lived there. That clinic closed last year from what I understand.

But hey, they call me pro abort because I don't always agree. So what? You'd think they'd want allies instead of trying to find ways to alienate people.

But I get it. Tossing the "Pro Abort" card is just as manipulative as the liberals tossing out the 'race card'.

[metmom]

PP doesn't perform mammograms. They don't have the equipment.

Wagglebee isn't the one who needs to hear that.

[metmom]

((Face Palm!!))

It didn't work. You're going to have to try a lot harder to knock some sense into your head.

[Eagle Eye]

Cute!

Have you read the komen...oh of course not. Who am I kidding?

[metmom]

This thread is sad, but funny. PP doesn't perform mammograms. They don't have the equipment.

That leaves only one way to screen for breast cancer. And they need to contribute to an abortion provider to do a breast exam that any woman can do herself?

Then basically, Komen isn't even interested in breast cancer detection. What a bunch of frauds.

[BykrBayb]

In other words, you still haven’t read their statements admitting that they fund Planned Parenthood, and you’re too embarrassed to admit your ignorance, so you claim I’m the one who hasn’t read the statements I told you about. I’ve read them, and understood them. Others have wasted time trying to explain it to you in simple terms, but you either can’t or won’t understand plain English.

[P-Marlowe]

Do you have proof that Komen supports abortion when they specifically say they don’t?

Anyone who gives any money to Planned Parenthood for any reason is supporting abortion. Planned parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the nation. When money is given to them to support some ancillary cause (such as condom distribution or mammograms) it frees up the funds from their general fund which can then be used to provide abortions.

You have to be an idiot not to realize this.

It is the functional equivalent of giving money to the KKK for their Sunday School programs and not realizing it frees up money from their general fund to purchase ropes and gasoline.

You can't give money to the KKK to support their bible study programs without funding their ability to lynch people and burn crosses.

Have you ever given money to Planned Parenthood to support one of their ancillary programs? If not, why not? Aren't their ancillary programs "worthwhile"?

[BykrBayb]

I’d sure like to see the Gulf of Mexico cleaned up. I wonder if I should send money to Obama to help out with that.

[wagglebee]

PP doesn't perform mammograms. They don't have the equipment.

Then no monies to speak of are expended on breast cancer screening.

[wagglebee]

Maybe you should offer your expertise to Komen?

How is it that with all their money and resources they have missed out on your expertise?

What "expertise" is that?

Do you mean the FACT that mammograms are only recommended for women over 40? Are you suggesting that Komen isn't aware of this?

Or do you mean the FACT that manual breast exams don't actually cost money to perform? I'm pretty sure that Komen knows this too.

Perhaps, just perhaps, one of the things that the Komen screeners do is inform the women (and not all that go in to these clinics get abortions) is that getting an abortion may increase their risk of breast cancer?

That is among the most reaching statements that I have ever seen.

Do you have a single shred of data that suggests that Komen screeners are in Planned Parenthood telling women that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer? Don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful if they were, but do you really think that this theory is what you want to build your agenda around?

[rollo tomasi]

It should be interesting to know that Nancy Goodman Brinker, a founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Susan G. Komen sister, previously sat on a Planned Parenthood advisory board several years ago.

Also, Susan G. Komen Foundation has been “supplying” grants to various chapters of PP for years. Incidentally, during those years, the rate of abortions have increased WHILE the rates of breast cancer screening decreased. Hmm... I guess George Bush can't be “wrong”, he nominated Brinker to an ambassadorship.

Eagle Eye, understand the term FUNGIBLE. The Komen Foundation not only SUPPORTS abortion on demand and blasphemes our Creator in thought by supporting abortion on demand organizations, but in deed as well by actually WORKING with abortion on demand organizations.

[wagglebee]

Great post!

[metmom]

Do you mean the FACT that mammograms are only recommended for women over 40? Are you suggesting that Komen isn't aware of this?

Or do you mean the FACT that manual breast exams don't actually cost money to perform? I'm pretty sure that Komen knows this too.

Then there's no need to send money to PP for breast cancer screening since it can be done at the same time their other *services* are being performed.

And if the money is going to breast cancer screening at the same time the other services are being performed, whether it's giving the woman birth control pills or performing an abortion, then they are not only financing the increase in the breast cancer they claim they are trying to detect, then they are also funding abortions, which they claim they are not doing.

So they're lying again.

I find it incredulous that they'd give money for breast cancer screening, like any women goes to PP just for a manual breast exam. Sure.......

[wagglebee]

Exactly! The only thing as pathetic as the Komen excuses are the attempts to defend them for it.

By giving money to Planned Parenthood, Komen is DENYING NEEDY WOMEN PROPER BREAST CANCER SCREENING. They are hurting the very people they say they want to help.

[Eagle Eye]

The Komen Foundation not only SUPPORTS abortion on demand

Please provide some documentation for that. If you can't or won't I'll just have to believe you are another blatant liar. If you can, then I'll have to change my opinion, won't I?

[Eagle Eye]

Eagle Eye, understand the term FUNGIBLE.

You mean like when my step children's father claims he is paying for my cigars when he pays child support?

I'd buy the cigar regardless. PP would conduct abortions regardless.

Using fungibility as an excuse you can make a case for almost anything, can't you?

Komen publishes their positions and financial statements.

Komen's critics make claims and accusations without any proof.

I don't think Komen's critics care as much for the truth as they do their self righteousness in maintaining some fiction prolife purity while doing nothing to stop abortion but posting anti komen threads.