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Some participants in Susan G. Komen for the Cure events, like this run in San Diego, have reconsidered their support in the wake of a controversy over Planned Parenthood funding this week.
Fierce controversy over a policy that cut -- then apparently restored -- funding for Planned Parenthood by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity has left some longtime supporters of both groups feeling whipsawed by the fallout.
Fans who’ve worn pink ribbons and jogged in Race for the Cure runs and those who’ve supported women’s reproductive health services had mixed reactions following news Friday that Komen had agreed to amend criteria that would have barred Planned Parenthood from future grants.
Some Komen supporters said the organization had alienated them forever by cutting funding in the first place based on perceived political pressure from anti-abortion groups.
“It’s difficult for me to want to continue to support Komen now,” said Peg Callaway, 63, a lawyer from Omak, Wash. “It makes me mistrust the organization.”
As the Associated Press first reported Tuesday, Komen had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from future grants for breast-cancer screening because it was under government investigation, citing a probe launched by a Florida congressman at the urging of anti-abortion groups.
The decision was made in December, but became public this week, igniting a firestorm of protest. By Friday, Komen appeared to back off the plan, saying it would fund existing Planned Parenthood grants, and that the agency would be eligible for future grants. Some critics said it wasn't clear how the decision actually would affect future grants.
Still, Callaway remained suspicious.
“They’ve done a lot of damage to themselves,” she said.
Others, however, said that Komen’s quick reversal made them want to give an agency another chance. Dina Lalli-Bender, 47, of Laurel Springs, N.J., said she participated last year in a Race for the Cure event in Philadelphia in memory of close friends and family members lost to breast cancer.
“I’ll continue to do the run now,” said Lalli-Bender, a senior manager at a trade show labor firm. “Now that they’ve changed their minds, maybe they’ve seen that people were outraged by it.”
But avid Komen supporters who had been cheered by what they saw as a strong stand against Planned Parenthood were dismayed that the agency appeared to back off.
“I was very disappointed to hear that the decision was reversed so quickly,” said Rita C. Hruschak, 69, a retired nurse from Webster, N.Y. “It was barely warming up the griddle. The hope for a positive change to some good morals was lost too soon.”
She pointed to Planned Parenthood’s huge base of support -- including $3 million and 10,000 Facebook fans raised during the three days of the controversy -- as evidence that the agency could fund breast cancer screenings on its own. Planned Parenthood previously had received about $700,000 a year from Komen.
“So you know, they don’t really need Komen’s help or support,” she said.
In an informal msnbc.com poll Thursday, more than 6,000 respondents considered whether the controversy would alter their donations to either group.
Some 73 percent of people of took the poll said it would increase their donations to Planned Parenthood, while about 17 percent said it would increase funding to Komen. Nine percent of respondents said they don’t donate to either group.
Only 1 percent said they’d continue donating to both.
Has the Komen decision, and then apparent reversal, changed how you feel about the organization? Tell us on Facebook.
Related:
Komen backs off decision on funding cuts
Too little, too late for Komen, bioethicist says
Under fire, Komen CEO denies politics in Planned Parenthood cuts
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If anyone cares to list a few of the corporate sponsors of Komen, I'd appreciate it. I'll be happy to email all of them that their products will never be in my home again.
Dell
General Mills
New Balance
Ford
Walgrens
NFL
MLB
A better reason to not support them is to go their audited financial statements (which have been on their websites) and you will see only a small percentage of the donations go to actual research or charitable needs. Rather the money they claim go to their "programs" actually pays for salaries and administrative costs of those programs. You have to page down several pages to get to that breakout. So rather than 80/20 it is more like 20/80. No charity gets my money with those kind of numbers. Don't be swayed by their bs brochure. Or even their macro financial statements. Yo have to go to the audited ones that have the true cost breakdown.
Makes you wonder how many of the so called charities are really nothing more than scams to pay high salaries to the so called executives.
It would be interesting to know in what direction Susan Komem or her living family would want this organization to go . I doubt it would be to make the group political and certainly not anti woman political as the Republican right wing wants. It is time to oust some of the top brass at Komem and get it back to an organization that serves womens needs, first and foremost breast cancer but certainly other womans issues.
Time to dump Komen and find a reputable charity.
It seems that any pro-life (referred to as "anti-abortion") sentiment is closed by the community or shouted down.
I think its important to be respectful . Its clear to me the events of SGK / PP being discussed here what the majority of the American public thinks
Chloe's granddad - I for one always reopen up comments that have been shut down for no reason other than a difference of opinion from what the majority thinks. People forget it's the ability to hold discourse on issues that is a hallmark of our democracy. (oh,yeah - and I'm a backer of PP)
Chloe's granddad at #58 - My reading of the "Prohibited Conduct" for posting shows:
1. it is not relevant to the subject matter of the article or commentary
2. it is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, known to be false and presented as truth, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable
So a lot of the comments are collapsed if people feel they are lies or hateful, etc. It isn't supposed to be that someone disagrees with the post, but quite a few do contain lies and hate. Like Katheryn, I also always open and read a comment anyway. (sorry I messed up the font size)
I will donate when they get rid of Karen Handel, Republican (Candidate in waiting and brownie point getter). Then reverse all her work she has done at Komen. Then, and only then, will I think of giving directly out of my pocket to Komen. So, get rid of the Right Wing influence and you get money.
The damage is done. If anyone is interested here's a two links to SGKs corporate sponsors and partners. I plan on emailing as many as I can to ask them reconsider their support.
ww5.komen.org/corporatepartners.aspx
ww5.komen.org/raceforthecuresponsors.aspx
I hear PP is giving a pocket coat hanger with every $10 donation.
I see the entitlement mentally is alive and well among the hammer and sickle flag waving crowd. No organization has a right to be funded by another. So why didn't all you whiners send your money directly to PP instead of going through another charity in the first place? Please tell everyone why?
The answer is that no one knew any of this. Now everyone is using it as a battle cry for whatever their agenda is.
Yes stupid The three days they were referring to was the three days they said the cut out the planned parenthood!!!!!!! Did you read the fu!@ing article?
Why the Hell is it so bad to say that" When I give money to cancer research I shouldnt worry if it is paying for abortions!!!!!!!!!!!
Why is a Charity donating to another charity anyway? The just need to stick to one thing. This will come back to bite them in the ass. Like it or not people are very divided on the planned parenthood topic. Before This came to light 99.99% of people never even knew that this fit into any donation to Komen. Now whatever side of this issue will determine your level of funding. They will lose a lot of support either way. It was better When no one knew. And those that abortion is OK just realize that planned parenthood performed around 300,000 abortions last year.
Its your choice, America: Freedom, or republicans...
"The hope for a positive change to some good morals was lost too soon.” Wow, from that statement I guess this person thinks that if you use Planned Parenthood, you are completely without morals. Does that include birth control or just abortion? If you get family counselling, is that included as well? Is my annual mammogram included in that low morals category? What a pile of sanctimonious clap-trap!
I am so sick of people thinking that they have the right and responsibility to hold their personal beliefs over everybody else. You don't want an abortion, don't get one. You don't want the morning after pill, don't take it. I am an old woman and none of this applies to me except that Planned Parenthood can get me a mammogram a heck of a lot faster than the Komen foundation can.
I am with you Betty. The pink ribbons went in the trash this morning. When I see pink stuff on a pro football team from now on, I will change stations. This ain't over by half. I supported them. The hell with them now. There are other ways to help women.
I got attacked on face book when I asked what good all of the pink crap was doing for anyone. Breast Cancer awareness? Did anyone in this country not know that it existed? And what about the tens of millions of dollars used to make the pink shoes, hats etc... What did that help? Seems like it would have done more good at a cancer research facility
I can understand if someone feels strongly about preventing abortions on demand - but now we are seeing attacks on women's rights to contraception, trying to deny a woman the right to decide if she does not want to conceive a child(denying a women the right to control her reproductive rights before conception). What is this new wave of trying to put American women under a figurative veil.
No people are deciding if their money will go to that or not
But as Betty pointed out Brandon - it seems that there is a rising trend where people seem to think they have the right to hold their beliefs over women's bodies and how women run their own lives. I agree with her. It has moved from a question of abortion rights to now contraceptive rights. Just following up on a very interesting point she made.
No katheryn they are just saying that the money given to breast cancer research should not go to abortion funding. That seems pretty simple to me. Have you been to planned parenthood? Have you had a mammagram? Are they the same thing? What about the research that ties breast cancer to sudden changes in pregnancy status? Did anyone say to shut planned parenthood down? No just make a seperate contribution. What If St.Jude started funding...... Oh I dont know a pedophile advocacy group? 1) Why the hell would St Jude do anything but childrens cancer 2) If you dont like pedophiles why the Hell would you give to St.Judes. BTW I love St jude and have give them over 50,000 in the past two years and I Would never think they would fund abortions. But if they did I would gladly not give them any more money!! Why? Because I gave the money for child cancer not for some other bull sh!t
Well Brandon - at least we do both agree that people should give to the causes and organizations that reflect their concerns. I think that is what is happening here on both sides. Everyone is taking a closer look at where they want their donations to go. (and I love the work St.Judes does - what a great organization)
I hear all this Mammogram talk and I have to ask.. Is there no other place in the world to go for a mammagram. I don't recall any women in my vamily every visiting planned parenthood but they all seemed to get mammagrams.
Well, good for you, Brandon. Of course, as is apparent from your earlier posts, you didn't read the article and know nothing about the situation.
planned parent hood does not have the medical equipment to do mammograms... which is what they were being given the money for... So they are just acting as a middleman... money would be better spent by donating it to several cancer centers.
PP just send women to other facilities for screenings. I don't see a problem with Komen wanting to make sure they have more control or knowledge of how their funds are being spent. Who does PP send the women too?
Well certainly NOT Dr. Tiller out in Kansas seems Bill O'Reilly over at Faux News already took care of that!
STFU Mickey!! If you want to kill children then GIVE TO PP. Why the fu@K would a cancer research CHARITY fund your abortions?? Just tell people what they are paying for and shut up. At that point your opinion and my opinion will not matter anymore!!
In 2009, Planned Parenthood clinics performed 332,278 abortions, according to a fact sheet on the group’s Web site. Also, in fiscal year 2008-2009, Planned Parenthood received more than $363 million in government grants and contracts, including federal taxpayer dollars through Title X family planning provisions.
Government = tax payer money
According to its latest annual report, Planned Parenthood listed its revenues at $1.1 billion.
After Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards in March cited “mammograms” as one of the group’s services, a Live Action investigation found that none of the 27 Planned Parenthood clinics they contacted in 30 states provided the breast cancer screening.
I just did a quick check of charities... based on income to use... how much money is spent on administration and how much is used for actually helping the people...
Planned Parenthood barely gets 3 stars
Susan g Koman for a cure... Gets all the stars and is one of the best charities and does a far better job with the donations..
so for all you crazy people that want to stop supporting them because you got offended and had your feelings hurt... you are actually HURTING WOMEN... not helping
Better yet.. why dont you go start a charity and see if you can never ever do or say something you regret..
they changed their mind and apologized - but some of you still want blood... GET A GRIP
Who owns the charity rating site?
Probably crazy Glenn Beck.
How many unwanted kids have y'all adopted folk? What happens after we just keep makin em?
hang out with the occupy crowd. I hear they have condoms.
what a dumb comment
Yes a truly Stupid comment. All of the rapists in the occupy crowds DO NOT use condoms!! So abortions may be worth it after all!!
The Komen Foundation has lost some credibility, but not all. Over the years, millions of Americans have generously supported the foundation started by Ms. Nancy Brinker in memory of her 36 year-old sister who lost her life to breast cancer. Millions of American men, women and children of all faiths and political persuasions have supported the foundation because of its life saving mission.
The recent Komen Foundation decision to defund breast cancer program of Planned Parenthood was tragic but predictable. It was a logical step for an organization that has come increasingly under the influence of tea party extremists.
I have no doubt that Ms. Nancy Brinker is a good person. She was considered a moderate Republican. Over the years she has contributed over $600,000 to Republican candidates. She was appointed by President George W. Bush as Ambassador to Hungary from 2001 to 2003. Significantly, no one has ever used her faith or political affiliation to withhold support from her or the great cause she has dedicated her energies.
The problem with Ms. Nancy Brinker is that she has allowed the radical extremists in the Republican Party to bring their cheap political agenda of intolerance and devaluation of women and minorities into the foundation. The foundation's hiring of right wing extremists like Karen Handel as Senior Vice President is just one of the many wrong and misguided steps that has taken foundation taken away from its mission. Nancy Brinker's ridiculous and confusing attempt to justify the unjustifiable under the guise of assuring "grant excellence" was a fig leaf designed to protect Karen Handel and cover up the radicalization of the foundation's mission.
In a sense, Nancy Brinker needs to be rescued from the clutches of the radical right wing tea party extremists who currently have a stranglehold on the Republican Party and the foundation. These extremists, who daily vilify and demonize President Obama, have no qualms about extending their insatiable appetite for intolerance to other areas of our lives.
If Nancy Brinker wants to be taken seriously and wants to move forward, the foundation needs to fire Karen Handel. This may be the real test of Nancy Brinker's sincerity and commitment to women's health. To keep Karen Handel is to betray the millions of people from all walks of life who support the Komen Foundation mission. To keep Karen Handel is to tell the world that the Nancy Brinker and the foundation are hopelessly committed to cuddling right wing enemies of women's health.
You nailed it!
Great summary! I'd include a couple more besides Karen Handel, but that would be the best start. And they need to use more of their funds for research and treatment to regain credibility, also.
Since when does Breast Cancer have anything to do with Abortion? I just wish these American Taliban Freak's would just go away and leave well enough alone! Why not just go and protest outside some Abortion Clinic somewhere? Let Planned Parenthood to continue to offer these much needed Breast Cancer Screenings to women ok! As a 13-years old boy I watched by Dear Mother suffer then die from Breast Cancer so I know first hand what a terrible thing Breast Cancer is and would never want to see NO other woman have to suffer like that ever again!
The Komen Foundation has lost some credibility, but not all. Over the years, millions of Americans have generously supported the foundation started by Ms. Nancy Brinker in memory of her 36 year-old sister who lost her life to breast cancer. Millions of American men, women and children of all faiths and political persuasions have supported the foundation because of its life saving mission.
The recent Komen Foundation decision to defund breast cancer program of Planned Parenthood was tragic but predictable. It was a logical step for an organization that has come increasingly under the influence of tea party extremists.
I have no doubt that Ms. Nancy Brinker is a good person. She was considered a moderate Republican. Over the years she has contributed over $600,000 to Republican candidates. She was appointed by President George W. Bush as Ambassador to Hungary from 2001 to 2003. Significantly, no one has ever used her faith or political affiliation to withhold support from her or the great cause she has dedicated her energies.
The problem with Ms. Nancy Brinker is that she has allowed the radical extremists in the Republican Party to bring their cheap political agenda of intolerance and devaluation of women and minorities into the foundation. The foundation's hiring of right wing extremists like Karen Handel as Senior Vice President is just one of the many wrong and misguided steps that has taken the foundation away from its mission. Nancy Brinker's ridiculous and confusing attempt to justify the unjustifiable under the guise of assuring "grant excellence" was a fig leaf designed to protect Karen Handel and cover up the radicalization of the foundation's mission.
In a sense, Nancy Brinker needs to be rescued from the clutches of the radical right wing tea party extremists who currently have a stranglehold on the Republican Party and the foundation. These extremists, who daily vilify and demonize President Obama, have no qualms about extending their insatiable appetite for intolerance to other areas of our lives.
If Nancy Brinker wants to be taken seriously and wants to move forward, the foundation needs to fire Karen Handel. This may be the real test of Nancy Brinker's sincerity and commitment to women's health. To keep Karen Handel is to betray the millions of people from all walks of life who support the Komen Foundation mission. To keep Karen Handel is to tell the world that the Nancy Brinker and the foundation are hopelessly committed to cuddling right wing enemies of women's health.
74, 75 deleted, Donald-2504677 banned, failed audition, calling out a Viner from the first page as a 'complete idiot' and a '@!$%#' with creative spacing.
Why is a charity getting tax payer money to endorse a political partys agenda?
Planned Parenthood launches TV ad applauding birth-control mandate
So why didn't all you whiners send your money directly to PP instead of going through another charity in the first place? Please tell everyone why?
In the final wash,people will donate to the charity of their choice - both organizations have gained and lost benefactors because of this issue. But from a purely economic standpoint,Komen may have shot itself in the foot. There is a particular demographic group that supports women's issues/women's health issues and they are a large enough slice of the benevolent pie that Komen is concerned about losing them. Otherwise they would wave goodbye as the PP donors left. Komen needs the base that raised so much money for PP in 3 days - that base use to be theirs. And where the goodwill and money goes -there goes the sponsors.
So when someone donated or participated in a fund raising activity for Komen, what did you think the money was going to be used for?
For an organization that depends upon corporate sponsors and long term donors for funding, whether the donor was fully aware of the organization's recipients is less important than the continued goodwill that the donor feels toward the organization they are giving their money to. Komen has lost that connection with their donors - whether it is deserved or not. And there are many good organizations/sports figures,etc. that have made p.r. blunders and lost the affection of the public/donors. Whether right or wrong-once that benefactor switches products,it's hard to get them back. And that obviously concerns Komen or they would not be backpedaling.
I believe it is a womens right to choose if they want an abortion, even though I would hope they would choose another avenue. With this being said, I don't believe I should have to pay for any part of it directly or indirectly.
Sorry folks you can't have a political agenda and receive tax payer money at the same time.
I agree. So let's get rid of the "abstinence only" government funded programs too
So trying to teach all the little hoes not to spread them is a problem, but killing their children is not?
Tell you what DSB. When I knock your daughter up I wont pay for the abortion because I already gave for breast cancer. Good deal right?
I am not a supporter of Planned Parenthood, and to now find out that my donation to what I thought was a very worthy enterprise is used to help fund an organization that I am against is very disappointing. Like The United Way, for the same reasons, Komen has lost my support. There are plenty of worthy causes out there who will love receiving my donations.
Everyone needs to take a good look at an organization to determine if their donations are actually being used the way you want them too. I for one will do a lot more investigating and no longer blindly send money to an organization based on their perceived activities or out of emotion.