In what seems an increasingly rare commodity, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation admitted it had made a mistake and reversed its decision to withhold funding for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics across the United States.
The Komen Foundation is an advocacy group that is known by its ubiquitous marketing of pink ribbons in raising awareness about breast cancer.
Planned Parenthood also is a nonprofit that dedicates 97 percent of its efforts to educate people about pregnancy prevention, engaging in safe and healthy relationships, overall good health, including breast screenings, preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and providing birth control devices, including reduced-cost birth control pills, IUDs and other devices that help women prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Its primary clientele are poor women who cannot afford to seek such services from physicians in private practice. About 170,000 women have benefited from breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics, courtesy of Komen.
For a certain segment of the U.S. population, Planned Parenthood is categorized as an abortion clinic because it focuses 3 percent of its resources to inform people about abortion and its consequences. No abortions are performed at most Planned Parenthood clinics. But the fact that Planned Parenthood is willing to broach the subject seems to be enough for people to brand it as work of the devil.
That’s what got it in the crosshairs of the Komen Foundation, and particularly its new vice president for public policy Karen Handel, a Sarah Palin BFF, who convinced board members to withhold funding for any organization which is under “investigation.”
When is Planned Parenthood not?
THE UPROAR from Komen’s move convinced board members to reverse its decision, which is good.
Even better, it refocused the spotlight on Planned Parenthood and the important role it plays in society. Besides the poor, the clinics provide important services for young women who may not feel comfortable discussing birth control with their parents or family physician. Young women attending college, especially, seek the clinics for education, support and counseling.
When health care becomes truly universal — reaching all segments — Planned Parenthood clincs may no longer be necessary. But until that time they continue to play an important role for the underserved.
— Susan Lynn
