I took a quick four-day trip with the family and some friends (Kalahari Resort - highly recommended!). While gone, two mind-boggling things happened... let's start with the good: I received more than $350 in donations while we were gone, thank you very much! I'm officially at 37 percent of my goal, which is deliriously exciting.
Then we came home. And I checked Facebook. Holy controversy Batman.
For those who haven't heard (yeah right), the Komen Foundation pulled its grants from Planned Parenthood. The official reasons (as best I can tell) is that Planned Parenthood is currently under investigation by Congress, and therefore does not meet the new criteria for being a grant recipient, and/or the SGK is moving grants to direct service providers instead of "pass through" services (no mammograms are actually done at any PP facilities).
Do I agree with this decision? No. I don't. I won't go into the myriad of reasons (because I don't think it's relevant... it's just my personal opinion), but there is one thing I want to say loud and clear:
I don't agree with the decision, but I still support the Komen Foundation. I will continue to support all of the good work that they do, from funding research grants to providing outreach, education and support to those who need it. At the same time, I will do whatever I can do to make sure that the Foundation knows I don't agree with this decision. I think it was driven by politics, which is a shame.
Because I think this decision will hurt women. Many of them. However, pulling my support entirely from Komen won't do any good either.
It makes me sad that we live in a society that is so polarized on one issue. Meanwhile, thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and too many of them die. Early detection saves lives, regardless of where that service is provided.
Finally someone who thinks like me! I'm with ya Jen!
ReplyDeleteAnnie C.
As a breast cancer survivor I am glad you are still supporting the Komen efforts. Early detection is what saved my life! Like many other people, I have found all of this controversy extremely upsetting. My thoughts have been all over the place. It's great for people to share their opinions on the FB websites, it's their right, but unfortunately some have gone way off course which only gets people riled up. A lot has been shared on both sides and I'm sure a lot has been misquoted - what we've learned from the media is probably only the tip of the iceburg. Good luck with the walk. You guys are awesome!
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