This whole kerfuffle over Susan G. Komen (SGK) and Planned Parenthood (PP) is a perfect illustration of the hypocrisy and stupidity of the pro-choice movement. (This is not an attack of all who are pro-choice; just those for whom the cause trumps all reason and common sense.)
SGK announced a week ago it would stop supporting PP because of a new policy which prevents SGK from funding organizations under federal, state, or local investigation. It has since recanted under a barrage of criticism and hateful accusations, chief among them that SGK’s move was strictly “political” and “anti-woman” since it was going to deny poor women breast cancer screening. (Why is it “political” to not support abortion but “sympathetic to women” to support it?)
First important fact: PP doesn’t do mammograms. Period. They do “clinical exams” only, which is basically the same as a self-exam.
Over five years they have found 170 cases of breast cancer with this method, or 34 per year. SGK donated $600,000 to PP last year, meaning that each diagnosis cost roughly $17,000.
That’s a second important fact. One can easily argue that discontinuing this funding will have almost zero effect on breast cancer screening efforts and that those funds can be much better used to help poor women with breast cancer screening and treatment with other entities.
Third important fact is that whatever you think of abortion, PP has been found guilty of breaking local, state, and federal laws by not reporting cases of child rape, statutory rape, or violating parental notification laws. That is the main reason for SGK’s decision.
How can liberals, who claim to be so concerned about poor women so blatantly ignore an organization which enables the abuse and exploitation of the most vulnerable women and girls among us?
Fourth fact is that PP defends itself (as do those in the ever-sympathetic media) by saying abortion only constitutes 3 percent of its services.
What they NEVER tell you is that abortion generates 37 percent of its revenues.
If you’re so committed to how wonderful abortion is, then why minimize it, especially in such a way that severely understates abortion’s actual importance for your organization’s finances?
So there we have it. Stupidity about the facts combined with hypocrisy about the conduct of PP. I would say I’m surprised, but that would be lying, kind of like how our president lied to Catholics about his healthcare policies.
Trey Hoffman
Peachtree City, Ga.