I have been reading in the news the last 2 days that the Susan G Komen foundation is going to cut funding for breast cancer screenings to underprivileged and poor women. I have been trying to "get behind this" as Captain Kirk AKA William Shatner, and I just can’t get behind this.
Cutting out funding for something that you make millions off in donations each year worldwide shows you’re true colors. Some may say that you’re supporting the killing of innocent babies, however Planned Parenthood does much more than abortions. They provide low cost birth control solutions, low cost OB/GYN services, family planning, sexual education, and services for teens, young women, rape victims, and women nationwide. The goods out weigh the bad when it comes to this subject.
Here is a little tip......
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. For 94 years, millions of women and men have turned to Planned Parenthood for vital sexual healthcare services, sex education, and sexuality information. Today, the work of Planned Parenthood is carried forward by more than 30,000 Staff members and volunteers. In 2008 (the latest year for which we have figures), Planned Parenthood provided more than five million people worldwide with the means to make responsible choices about their sexual and reproductive health.(Planned Parenthood Federation of America[PPFA®] is a founding member of International Planned Parenthood Federation, whose affiliates serve tens of millions more.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/fact_ppservices_2010-09-03.pdf
In 2008, PPFA-supported partners served 1,078,000 individuals in 11 developing countries with reproductive health care and education. In addition, we worked to raise awareness of international reproductive health and rights issues and mobilize support for responsible U.S. laws and policies. We created briefing sheets, talking points, and a wide variety of other advocacy materials, posted them online, and distributed them to Planned Parenthood affiliates and activists.
The following link will take you to local women in Athens, Ohio and how PPFA has changed their life...
http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-27377-local-women-testify-to-the-benefits-of-planned-parenthood.html
Here is an excerpt from the PPFA Rochester site....Notice ABORTION SERVICES is listed under the NOT COVERED SERVICES.
Who is eligible?
You must meet these requirements:
Male or female of childbearing age including teens and college students
New York State resident that meets satisfactory citizenship or immigration requirements
Eligible income level
Must be able to have children
What services are covered?
This program provides coverage for family planning-related health care including:
Most FDA approved birth control methods, devices, and supplies including birth control pills, condoms, the patch, Nuvaring, IUDs and the new method, Implanon
Emergency contraception and follow-up care – Plan B
Male and female sterilization
Preconception counseling, preventive screening and family planning options before pregnancy
The following services are also free when they are part of a family planning clinic visit. You MUST have these services as part of or follow up to a family planning visit or they will not be covered by the Family Planning Benefit Program.
Gynecological exams including clinical breast exam (mammography not included)
Pregnancy testing and counseling
Reproductive health information, education and counseling services related to pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection risk and family planning options
Screening, treatment and medications for sexually transmitted and genito-urinary infections
Screening for cervical cancer (Pap smears) and if needed, repeat Pap smears and colposcopies
Screening, diagnostic, lab testing and referrals to primary care providers for health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes that affect contraceptive choice
HIV counseling and testing
What services are NOT covered?
Fertility treatments
Abortions
Problem-centered visits not originally diagnosed during a family planning visit
Services not related to family planning
Here is the link to the PPFA wikipedia link.....
"The origins of Planned Parenthood date to 1916 when Margaret Sanger, her sister and a friend opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S. in Brooklyn, New York.[8] It resulted in her being jailed.[9] In 1938, the clinic was organized into the American Birth Control League, which became part of the only national birth control organization in the US until the 1960s, but the title was found too offensive and "against families" so the League began discussions for a new name.[10] By 1941, the organization was operating 222 centers and had served 49,000 clients.[11] By 1942 [4] the League had become part of what became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood
Come on people! Look how far we've come. It's important to teach our children about responsibility, the importance of sexual education and the prevention of STD's, unwanted pregnancy, and healthcare. By continuing to support the decision of the Susan G Komen foundation you are sending a messaging stating that getting a breast screening is a privilege not a right. It is our right as a society on the brink of destruction to speak out against things like this. It’s not a privilege to ensure you’re healthy, it’s a right. And by education, prevention and action we can as a whole nation support our many men and women who have to suffer through cancer.
Now don’t get me wrong, what the Susan G Komen foundation has done thus far is indeed impressive, however.....its time they put down their political "talking stick" and stand up for what they were dedicated to doing. Breast cancer research and prevention. You can’t do that if you one day decide to fund low income screening and then surreptitiously decide to pull that. What does that say about the true nature of your "cause?"
I am asking everyone who reads this note to pass it on. If we can make the "I can has cheezburger" kitties viral, and the techno Viking video viral, we can sure enough pass this note on to our friends and social media outlets. I have for many years supported the Race for the Cure, however I will no longer support a foundation that refuses to do what it was originally created to do. Research and treatment of breast cancer for EVERYONE, not just those that can afford it.
Take a stand, let your voice be heard and pass this on!
