Susan G. Komen was a woman of 36 when she died from breast cancer in 1980. Her sister, in fulfilling her promise to Susan to help end breast cancer, founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 1982.
Now, thirty years later, it bears little to no resemblance to an organization dedicated to (primarily) women's health.
On its twenty-fifth anniversary, the name of the charity was changed to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and that name was trademarked. Any organization that ran events using the words 'race for the cure' or variations thereof was sued by Komen.
Perhaps that should have been the signal that the charity had gotten too big for its britches. Its primary messages about breast cancer are to get regular mammograms and check your breasts for lumps. Don't even toddlers know that by now?
The most amazing thing about the growth of this charity into a billion dollar business is its successful marketing campaigns. There are pink ribbons everywhere. You can be strangled by them.
Yesterday Susan G. Komen for the Cure pulled its support of Planned Parenthood. Their fear, they claim, is that their validity will be called into question when the Republicans start investigating Planned Parenthood. The news on the street is that SGK stopped its funding of PP because PP performs abortions, which one should note, has nothing to do with breast cancer screenings for women, especially poor women.
So we are hoping support for SGK will be pulled and donations for cancer research be given to more deserving and credible organizations such as the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Already the tide seems to have turned and we hope it continues.
Now, thirty years later, it bears little to no resemblance to an organization dedicated to (primarily) women's health.
On its twenty-fifth anniversary, the name of the charity was changed to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and that name was trademarked. Any organization that ran events using the words 'race for the cure' or variations thereof was sued by Komen.
Perhaps that should have been the signal that the charity had gotten too big for its britches. Its primary messages about breast cancer are to get regular mammograms and check your breasts for lumps. Don't even toddlers know that by now?
The most amazing thing about the growth of this charity into a billion dollar business is its successful marketing campaigns. There are pink ribbons everywhere. You can be strangled by them.
Yesterday Susan G. Komen for the Cure pulled its support of Planned Parenthood. Their fear, they claim, is that their validity will be called into question when the Republicans start investigating Planned Parenthood. The news on the street is that SGK stopped its funding of PP because PP performs abortions, which one should note, has nothing to do with breast cancer screenings for women, especially poor women.
So we are hoping support for SGK will be pulled and donations for cancer research be given to more deserving and credible organizations such as the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Already the tide seems to have turned and we hope it continues.
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