COMMENTARY | Less than a year after Planned Parenthood survived a near elimination in all government funding in April of 2011 that nearly caused a government shutdown, one of their main charity based contributors pulled funding. The Susan G. Komen foundation, a breast cancer research fund, previously provided grants to help cover the costs of breast exams for over 170,000 low-income women a year. The foundation chose to pull funding due to a new policy that forbids funding to organizations under investigation by local, state or federal identities. Thanks to anti-abortionist action, Planned Parenthood is nearly always under investigation, and is currently being investigated by Congress.
The investigation seeks to confirm Planned Parenthood is indeed keeping to new Federal funding regulations that resulted of the recent Federal Budget stand-off which state tax payer money can’t fund abortions. The fact that the Komen foundations newest vice president is outspokenly anti-abortion, reported the Huffington Post, is considered a possible secondary motivation for removal of funding.
As a woman who relied on Planned Parenthood’s oath to serve even those who can’t afford service in my teens, I am dismayed that so many women and government officials are allowing an opinion-based debate on abortion to sacrifice the health of America’s women. If our children our indeed our future, and our women are irrevocably tied to those children, given that they birth them, then our women are also our future. Healthy moms make healthy babies, and Planned Parenthood helps keep women healthy. Breast cancer and annual exams have nothing to do with abortion, religion, or opinion. However, even in the face of bigotry and close-minded politics the good of our people shines through.
The Huffington Post also reports that since the announcement was made on Jan. 31, donations to Planned Parenthood have increased dramatically from private individuals, including myself, and other organizations seeking to replace the lost funding. As of Wednesday, a mere 24 hours later, an impressive $400,000 has been collected from around 600,000 donations. If 600,000 people in 24 hours doesn’t tell those fighting to close a community-minded women’s health organization like Planned Parenthood is wanted by the public, then they’re not just close-minded, they’re blind, deaf, and dumb.