POWER TO THE PEOPLE: SUSAN G. KOMEN REVERSES DECISION!

ALRIGHT THEN….i have rarely felt so fired up as i have the moment i heard that the susan g. komen breast cancer charity had made some politically-motivated back-room board deal/manipulation to pull funding from planned parenthood.  and then listened to them spin spin spin during the vertigo-inspiring fall-out.  but most people, it turns out, have an understanding about compassion and fairness and what it might mean to be a poor woman with no means to have a mammogram or treatment for any diagnosis…both of which are constantly supplied by planned parenthood.  now – realizing that they were on the verge of destruction as any kind of charity with the power to garner contributions – they have reversed their decision and will continue funding planned parenthood.  i sometimes curse social media but right now i bow down to the power of facebook, wordpress, blogs in general and twitter.  people wouldn’t put up with the headline and social media allowed them to say what they felt – that they were offended in the most immediate way. 

sadly, during all of this i learned more than a few things about komen which make me remain queasy about the organization.  first of all – that right-wing witch – karen handel – has to leave.  immediately.  second, i learned that komen is like many uber-large charities – they start feeding off themselves and need to give more to research and less to glittery parties and such.  some of their corporate partnerships are exceptionally suspect – can you cure cancer and take money from a company whose product probably contributes to cancer at the same time??  and nancy brinker should have someone counsel her that when she is talking to the general public about how komen administers to every woman – she might look a little less uptight upper east side exceptionally rich – it rings pretty false over video. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/komen-revises-funding-policy/2012/02/03/gIQAVRa3mQ_story.html 

i’ll probably send my donation dollars to SHARE and DR. SUSAN LOVE ARMY OF WOMEN – SHARE does amazing reach-out to women diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer (they were so kind to me – and it made a difference) and ARMY OF WOMEN – has been funded by Avon (‘meh’ as my teenager would say) but they are commited to research and finding a cure. 

SHARE:  http://www.sharecancersupport.org/ 

DR. SUSAN LOVE’S ARMY OF WOMEN:  http://www.armyofwomen.org/ 

i don’t need to be branded pink – i just need integrity and commitment.  and a cure for breast cancer. 

BOYCOTT SUSAN G. KOMEN – AND PASS THIS FORWARD –

Susan G. Komen foundation has decided to cut funding to Planned Parenthood – having been influenced by political right-wing moolah.  Screw them.  Don’t give them a penny and let them know.  I encourage you to unsubscribe their emails and post to your Facebook or social network site and email them also to tell them that they have done the unconscionable thing…bowed to political pressure about what a woman chooses to do with her very own body.   The very definition of wrong.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203920204577195652290909774.html?mod=googlenews_wsj 

Here’s what I have written with email addresses below also.  Should you have another Komen email address, share here.  I ENCOURAGE EVERY WOMAN AND EVERY MAN TO SHARE AND LIKE THIS POST AND WRITE YOUR OWN EMAIL TO THEM. 

I will no longer give donations to this organization which has been influenced by right-wing anti-choice anti-woman’s rights politicians. I cannot believe you got it so very wrong. This used to be an amazing foundation but big money has obviously attracted big influence and not the right kind.

I am taking you off of my mailing list and encouraging any person with a dime to donate to breast cancer research to give it to another organization. It is horrible that this organization can betray women so terribly and judge them for making choices that are theirs alone to make. Planned Parenthood respects those choices. What’s next? Will Komen only research mastectomies or only research whatever is in the interest of the biggest check donation they get? It’s an abomination that this organization has chosen such a slimey path. You will never get another penny of my money and, I hope, no one else’s either. 

er – Breast Cancer survivor –

komen@komenoc.org; lwolter@komenoc.org; tthompson@komenoc.org; smckeough@komenoc.org; ekelly@komenoc.org; teams@komenoc.org; jhill@komenoc.org; info@komennyc.org