Friday, February 3, 2012

Susan G. Komen Disappoints By Caving to Pressure

By now, we're all hearing the news. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest grassroots campaign for breast cancer awareness, has reversed its decision on Planned Parenthood and will continue to fund their programs.

It's a disgrace. I'm very disappointed.

I've admired the work of Susan G. Komen for a long time. For years, I've participated in the Race for the Cure. And while I personally didn't agree with their funding of Planned Parenthood, I begrudgingly understood that you needed to "fish where the fish are," and help the underserved where they lived.

But they don't just live at Planned Parenthood. Komen provides grants to a multitude of organizations that help the poor and needy in a variety of communities. The funding Komen did provide to Planned Parenthood was a small fraction of the funds they receive for mammograms. Planned Parenthood is not the only fish in the ocean, and there are other, more appropriate organizations that could use the money. There are organizations that target poor African American women, the Asian community that shun doctors, Hispanic organizations that break the language barrier. Komen really didn't need Planned Parenthood to get the job done.

When Komen decided to cut ties, I felt they were taking a moral stand. That they no longer wanted an affiliation with an organization with a very dubious past and a current shady underbelly. That the fight against breast cancer was stronger without Planned Parenthood.

But it seems that doing what they felt, and what many people still feel, is the right thing, was too hard. And they changed their mind.

And now Komen no longer stands for a promise between sisters over 30 years ago. They stand for nothing.

For God's sake! If you want to stand for what you believe, then do it! Don't cave after days of pressure. Dissenters always scream the loudest. If you believe it's worth doing, it's worth fighting for.

Unless it's easier to cave under the pressure of obnoxious liberal bullies. Then doing the right thing goes flying out the window.

4 comments:

Ryan said...

Ah, the irony. So if public pressure causes the administration to back off some (bogus) violation of religious freedom, that's good. But when the same principle works in the other direction, it's bullying and caving.

Arguing out both sides of the mouth...priceless.

Frank Edwards said...

No, it's actually the same thing. It's two groups being assaulted for their beliefs.

If a private, non-profit organization wants to allocate their funding in a specific way, that's their right, regardless of how the general public feels.

And, if another non-profit, protected by this country's law to practice their faith however they choose, they have the right to do so and should not be forced by anyone, not even the Federal Goverment, to do otherwise. Quakers are allowed to avoid military service be being conscientious objectors. The IRS doesn't force religious organizations to file financial statements. These are just some of the examples of the many laws the defer to someone's faith, not only as an individual but also through their places of worship. Yet the Federal Government and HHS have decided to force unlawful restrictions targeting a specific group of believers.

And unlike Komen, the Catholic Church of America isn't going to back down in 3 days.

Ryan said...

And it is Komen's choice to respond to public reaction. Pressure is part of the right of free speech, and cuts both ways.

Conveniently ignored is that religious groups also must abide by many laws. They cannot engage in racial discrimination, adhere to ADA requirements and so forth. If you want to play the game of collecting public money, then good for the administration for ensuring the laws apply equally.

Frank Edwards said...

Then that leads to some interesting questions: Is what the government asking of Catholic insititutions and other religious groups illegal because it violates the First Ammendment of the Constitution by impeding the free exercise of religion?