Calamity Song

I try not to discuss the political here, because that's not what I'm about. However, as a woman and a somewhat feminist, I am a passionate advocate for women's health. I think the access to quality prenatal care and cancer screenings should be a universal right (to be fair I think similar screenings for men to be the same). One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lives. That statistic to me is staggering. My life has been touched by breast cancer (see my post here http://mommydomchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/05/this-is-why-we-fight.html?m=1)although I never had it. I've been passionate for pink for years.
I've gone all out for October with raising awareness, supporting the cause, etc. This movement of breast cancer being part of the national consciousness is due in part to Komen. The story of how the organization came to be is outlined in a bestselling book.
On the flip side, they are protective of their trademarks and have sued smaller charities and fundraising groups for the use of the words "for a cure" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2011/01/04/colbert-komen-cure-cancer_n_804233.html) which I find to be sad and bullying behavior.
The little known fact is Komen doesn't raise money for patient care or assistance. They raise money to fund research and give grants on the community level, but their primary goal was to raise awareness and eliminate shame (they were wildly successful with that).
In many communities, another flashpoint organization provides vital women's health services-Planned Parenthood. Regular readers know that I am staunchly pro-life (meaning birth thru death; against abortion and the death penalty), yet I support Planned Parenthood. It's oxymoronic to some, but for those who are aware of the services they offer, it makes perfect sense.
Contrary to what some conservative pundits will have you believe, Planned Parenthood doesn't just do abortions. They also provide exams and medications at little or no cost. Back in the day, my health insurance did not offer gynecological services as a regular service (it was subject to my deductible) not did it cover the pill-which i took to keep fibroids at bay. The only way I could afford both was to use Planned Parenthood. For that I'm grateful there was an organization that was there to fill in the gaps.
In many communities, while there are state funded resources for those who meet criteria, hundreds of women do not. They fall through the cracks and may not have care critical to their health and well being. Did you know that Planned Parenthood provides infertility services? Care for urinary tract infections? Menopause care? There's a lot more to them than what a lot of politicians will allude to.
The other big part of the services provided by Planned Parenthood are cancer screenings. For many women, pap smears, breast exams and even mammograms are subject to deductible and coinsurance (if they have coverage) therefore making them less important than say, groceries. Planned Parenthood offers cancer screenings and mammogram referrals at little or no cost to patients.
Komen decided earlier this week to no longer give Planned Parenthood grants to provide breast exams and mammogram referrals, as well as breast health education. It's a decision that is in blatant disregard to Komen's original mission. Denying women access to low cost screenings is basically sentencing them to death, which is a violation of the promise made which resulted in the founding of Komen.
Anytime an organization that claims to support women decides to hurt another organization with the same mission, it hurts all women. We are all in this together, and we can choose what organizations to donate to. I, for one, will not be supporting Komen anymore. They dont speak for this woman.