My mother died of breast cancer. My aunt died of breast cancer. My cousin died of breast cancer. My niece, at age 28, was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy because she wants to beat the disease. Dear friends of mine are bravely battling breast cancer.
With these women in mind, and in good conscience, I haven’t been able to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure. That’s because Komen helps to fund Planned Parenthood. This has always concerned me for a number of reasons, one of which is the connection between abortion and breast cancer. I can’t support any organization that wants to prevent something as life-threatening as breast cancer by giving to an organization that makes a profit doing abortions.
PP has claimed, over and over, that it provides mammograms for poor women. It claims to help poor women most especially in Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods. However, PP doesn’t do mammograms. Apparently, at PP locations nationwide, only manual palpations are provided. That’s sub-standard for low-income women, especially black women whose incidence of breast cancer is higher than any other demographic. Instead of funding PP, I wonder if Komen would purchase mammograms for caring pregnancy centers like the one in my community? Then, Komen could be sure that their money wasn’t going to a monolithic, already government-funded, profit-making provider of abortions. Abortions which put women at risk perhaps of breast cancer, but most certainly of some other physical, emotional, or spiritual harm.
The debate over the abortion/breast cancer connection may continue for years. That’s because it can be difficult to honestly examine all the facts when two ideologies are opposed. Or when money and politics hold sway. Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, a Clinical assistant professor of Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, has seen firsthand how abortion hurts women. Dr. Lanfranchi has extensively explained how abortion increases breast cancer. She has treated countless women facing breast cancer. Angela Lanfranchi, M.D., was named a 2010 Castle Connolly NY Metro area “Top Doc” in breast surgery. She testified under oath in a 2002 California lawsuit against PP that she had private conversations with leading experts who agreed abortion raises cancer risk, but they refused to discuss it publicly, saying it was “too political.”
If you’re willing to study the connection between abortion and breast cancer for yourself or a loved one, there are other doctors like Professor Joel Brind, endocrinologist at Baruch College in New York who, together with others, published a 1996 paper in the Journal of Epidemiol Community Health showing a 30% greater chance of developing breast cancer for women who’ve had induced abortions. You might also visit the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer.
There was a glimmer of hope earlier this week. Komen announced that it was going to stop their annual grants to PP. But, now it appears they have changed their mind. PP had a little something to do with that. PP doesn’t like it when communities or congressmen like my own Steve King or Florida’s Cliff Stearns stand up to it. PP doesn’t like it when they are exposed for covering up under-age prostitution and sexual abuse. PP doesn’t like it when clinic directors walk away because they can’t deceive women any longer. PP doesn’t like it when American taxpayers tell the government to stop pouring more money into their already overflowing coffers. PP’s annual report of 2008-2009 notes that they received a record $363 million from government grants and other taxpayer funds. They set another record that year by performing over 324,000 abortions. As Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana said, “The largest abortion provider in America should not also be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X.” But, apparently, U.S. tax dollars aren’t enough. When it appeared their partnership with Komen for the Cure might be broken, PP moved quickly. What happened this week is a powerful message from PP to the country: Don’t mess with us.
PP is like any organization. It has a mission. PP started under the direction of Margaret Sanger and has remained true to the ideology and mission of eugenist Sanger. Sanger specifically set up her clinics in black communities. Today, PP has located nearly four-fifths of its American clinics (79%) in minority neighborhoods. Abortion has killed more black children than the totaled numbers of AIDS and violent crimes. PP is in the population control business. It also works to separate children from parents and train adolescents to “follow their sexual instincts.” Visit PP’s TeenWire web site (www.teenwire.org) to learn that PP considers boys with boys and girls with girls as a “normal” sexual choice and an effective form of birth control.
PP is a place women turn to in times of fear and desperation. PP may bring momentary relief, but it brings no joy. Someone dear to me still carries the PP receipt of her abortion in her wallet together with a photo of what her child might have looked like cut out from a magazine. That child is her only child. There were no more. This woman also mourns another life, that of her sister who died from breast cancer. I know my friend wants to help raise awareness and fund cancer research. But, she also wants to help lead women away from other harmful things. Like cervical cancer, STDs, and sterility. For that reason, she supports advocacies for women that don’t partner with PP.
Sources: Concerned Women for America
and LifeNews, 1-2-2012
Ezerwoman's Blog 
Thank you, Linda, for the well thought out reply. I agree and wish that the media would cover this side of the events. I was so disgusted with the news reports of the whole thing, making Planned Parenthood out to be the savior of women and even showing a woman having a mammogram in the news report on TV. I have sent one e-mail to my news station and suggested that the reporter try to get a little more information such as liveaction.com. One thing that really frustrates me is that they never mentioned that the reason PP was being investigated was because of the sex trafficking and child abuse charges.
Mollie Ziegler Hemmingway has a nice piece on this at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/februaryweb-only/komen-silver-lining.html
Well written Linda. Really too bad about Kommen caving into pressure.
As one of those women who has experienced breast cancer, I have long refused to donate to Komen or support their pink ribbon campaigns much to the distress of family and friends. For some time, I have been following Breast Cancer Action posts because I thought they were an alternative to Komen. I was shocked this week to see they were outraged with Komen’s decision to pull PP funding because Komen was denying women’s health care! This saddened me and also made me realize that it is almost impossible to know all the connections between these agencies.
Last year I learned that my local hospital has a fund to pay for mammograms for any woman who can’t afford one. They will not deny a woman a mammogram! My hospital has a top notch radiology department (they discovered my cancer twice) and I know that a woman who goes there is receiving above standard care. I know give my money to the MMSC Prevent Program and can be sure that those funds are providing direct services to a woman in need. I know we want see a cure for cancer, but I like the idea that I can help a woman who has cancer NOW and needs people to reach out to her at this moment. I would like to encourage others to check with their local hospitals or hospitals in an area where there would be a need. Bill Gates can fund Komen, or PP, but you can make a direct impact on someone right now in need.
Please consider this idea.