Thank You And Some Clarification

First of all, I need to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my 3 Day Walk so far!  I am at 11% of my goal which is a tremendous accomplishment!

Now, I feel as though I need to provide a little bit of explanation.

I am Catholic by birth, and guilty by association: I'm the daughter of a Deacon, the sister of a-soon-to-be Priest.  I am unapologetically anti-abortion.  I am pro-equal healthcare for all.  I support responsible procreation.  I am a lactivist, feminist-lite, cancer hater, dog lover, and a tree hugger.  I'm vocal about my opinions and stubborn as all get out when it comes to sticking by what I believe in.  I will, however, respect your opinions -  as long as they coincide with mine.

Okay, so I'm kidding about opinion coinciding part.  But in order for me to truly respect your opinions, they need to be founded in something sustainable.

Which brings me to my point... (you know me, I always get there eventually!)

It has come to my attention that there is some discourse among the Catholic population regarding support of the Susan G. Komen foundation.  I will, for now, keep my extremely strong opinions about this to myself and provide for your reading enjoyment the foundation's official response to their support of Planned Parenthood.  (Here's a sustainable foundation for MY opinion on supporting the Susan G. Komen 3 Day)

In a nutshell, some groups and individuals are choosing to NOT support participants of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day walk because the foundation provides a portion of their funding to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions.  Again, I am personally anti-abortion.  However, I do support the SGK foundation AND the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk.  I am confident in my continued support and fundraising efforts, and would ask you to be open minded and continue to support me in my mission to walk for a cure.

The following is from Dr. Winer at the Susan G. Komen foundation:

March 2010

An open letter about Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Planned Parenthood 

This year, as in the past, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is being criticized by some for funding a handful of women's health programs run by, or with ties to, Planned Parenthood. I'm writing this letter to explain our position and to correct any misinformation you may have heard about this issue.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure exists for only one reason: to save lives and to end breast cancer forever. In the past 27 years, we've invested nearly $1.5 billion to accomplish those goals through research and for programs that educate, screen and treat people in communities all around the world.

Early screening through mammograms and education are critical to end the suffering from this disease: 98 percent of women treated for early stage breast cancer, before it spreads, are alive five years later. The widespread use of mammography and heightened public awareness of breast cancer both contribute to these favorable statistics.

And while Komen Affiliates provide funds to pay for screening, education and treatment programs in dozens of communities, in some areas, the only place that poor, uninsured or under-insured women can receive these services are through programs run by Planned Parenthood.

These facilities serve rural women, poor women, Native American women, women of color, and the un- and under-insured. As part of our financial arrangements, we monitor our grantees twice a year to be sure they are spending the money in line with our agreements, and we are assured that Planned Parenthood uses these funds only for breast health education, screening and treatment programs.

As long as there is a need for health care for these women, we will continue to fund the facilities that meet that need. 

Ethicists in the Catholic Church have also examined this issue. One year ago, two Catholic ethicists - Ron Hamel, Ph.D. and Michael Panicola, Ph.D. - examined the moral implications of our funding decision. They concluded that it was morally permissible for the church to be involved with Komen in light of its funding agreements with Planned Parenthood.

"The fact that some Komen affiliates, at times, provide funding to Planned Parenthood specifically and solely for breast health services cannot on the face of it be construed as wrongdoing," the ethicists wrote. "The good that Komen does and the harm that would come to so many women if Komen ceased to exist or ceased to be funded would seem to be a sufficiently proportionate reason" for Catholics to support our funding decisions (emphasis added).

Another piece of misinformation being spread by many who criticize Komen for the Cure for its Planned Parenthood grants is that abortion causes breast cancer. Well conducted research consistently fails to support this claim. We agree with the bulk of scientific evidence - from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard, a rigorous study in Denmark and from Oxford University - that there is no conclusive link between breast cancer and induced abortion or miscarriage.

It is important for women to receive accurate information about risk factors for breast cancer. There are steps a woman can take to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer (for example, maintaining a healthy weight) as well as important steps every woman should take to make sure that, if she does develop breast cancer, it is detected and treated as soon as possible. A complete list of risk factors and screening recommendations can be found on our website http://www.komen.org. 

If you have more questions or need for information, you can go to this link and it includes many more background documents:

http://ww5.komen.org/plannedparenthood.html

More detailed information is on our web site at http://www.komen.org. We invite you to review the documents there, and we thank you again for taking time to investigate our position on this issue.

Thank you for continuing to support my Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk.  

Love, hugs, and blessings,

The Mama