The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, following a long campaign from anti-choice group, decided to end its partnership with Planned Parenthood, which received grants to provide breast exams along with mammogram referrals. Planned Parenthood provides an estimated 750,000 breast exams a year and 16% of their services are related to cancer prevention and screening, compared to just 3% for abortion services.
But anti-choice activists wanted Komen to sever ties with Planned Parenthood even if that meant denying women access to healthcare, and won a preliminary victory when they convinced LifeWay, the bookstore of the Southern Baptist Convention, to stop selling Komen’s “Pink Bibles” over their Planned Parenthood ties.
The Religious Right also scored a victory when Komen appointed former Georgia Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel, who as a candidate pledged to “eliminate” Planned Parenthood funding, Senior Vice President for Public Policy.
The foundation’s less than believable reason for cutting of funding for breast exams at Planned Parenthood was the politically-charged investigation launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) into the women’s health group, which is greatly based on the smear campaign by Lila Rose, who recently told WORLD magazine that lying is appropriate as long as it’s for a worthy cause.
Now, anti-choice activists are demanding that Congress, like Komen, defund Planned Parenthood, and even calling on Komen to continue to bend to their demands by dropping its support for stem cell research.
Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics, the group which made the discredited film Maafa 21 that claims legal abortion is a plot to commit black genocide, told the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow that Congress should follow Komen’s lead and defund Planned Parenthood:
"It is fantastic news," says Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics. "You know, we've been putting pressure on Komen for years over this issue because there's a lot of good people who have supported this organization in the past who had no idea that they gave money to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest profiteer on abortion."
Crutcher believes other Komen donors did take notice of the donations to Planned Parenthood.
"Absolutely -- [and] the federal government ought to take notice of it," he adds. "Planned Parenthood ... is a corrupt organization. Not just corrupt morally, but legally corrupt organization. Why should they be getting over a million dollars a day in taxpayer money?"
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins hailed Komen’s decision and called on Congress to do the same:
Susan G. Komen's decision to stop funding the abortion industry is good news for women seeking help dealing with breast cancer. This is also good news for the lives of many unborn babies. Congress should also act accordingly given that Planned Parenthood receives over $487 million annually in state and federal funds. If Susan G. Komen can chose to stop subsidizing the abortion giant, surely Congress can redirect its resources to those helping women, not making a profit off the lives of unborn children.
Lou Engle’s Bound4Life, which pushed LifeWay bookstores to stop selling Komen’s “Pink Bible,” commended Komen but like Perkins, asked the group to go even farther to please the far-right by abandoning their support of stem cell research. The group gloated that while “Komen says these public criticisms are not a factor in their choice to stop funding Planned Parenthood, it’s hard to believe that the pressure didn’t impact the decision:
If you recall, we first broke the Komen Bible story here at Bound4LIFE, as well as the wise and admirable decision by LifeWay to pull that funding and stop press. We have covered the constant funding of the abortion provider for several years, along with many other pro-life agencies. Though Komen says these public criticisms are not a factor in their choice to stop funding Planned Parenthood, it’s hard to believe that the pressure didn’t impact the decision.
While we have not received word that Komen still supports embryonic stem cell research, which is also a pro-life issue, we should be vocal in thanking Komen for this decision. In essence, it eliminates the middle man, allowing women who need real mammograms to call Komen and be directed to a place that actually does them. Komen’s funds haven’t changed—only where they give them.
Let’s rejoice but let’s not stop praying! Today’s announcement isn’t given with permanence. Komen officials state they want to keep a "positive relationship" with Planned Parenthood, so that, along with their support of embryonic stem cell research, means we shouldn’t be running to sign up for a Race for the Cure quite yet, but we should positively reinforce what’s happening and thank Komen for this decision. Every step is a step for LIFE.
Pray for this to be permanent; pray the truth behind the abortion industry is exposed in this congressional investigation—and thank Komen, as well. If the public support is higher for cutting support than not, Komen is unlikely to return to it.
