Komen misstep alienates many supporters

The day I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I turned to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website. Advised by friends and doctors to use the site, I was grateful to have an authoritative source of information and advice.

Everyone knows someone with breast cancer, and everyone knows that Komen for the Cure has raised many millions of dollars for research that is key to finding better treatments for patients. The group has made a difference in the world of people like me who initially feel as if they are drowning and then find a lifeline in the comprehensive information the group posts online.

I learned the particulars of my type of cancer — the stage, the kinds of cells, the most beneficial treatments — and I was able to study the statistics gathered over years, to help inform my decisions.

All the more reason to feel betrayed. Last week, in a politically motivated power play, Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced that it was cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood, a women’s health organization that uses the Komen money for breast cancer screening and education. The reason for its decision, a spokesman for Komen said in a New York Times story, was a “new rule” adopted by Komen that “prohibits grants to organizations being investigated by local, state or federal authorities.”

Not so coincidentally, a longtime anti-choice crusader, U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida, had launched an inquiry (read: witch hunt) into how Planned Parenthood spends its money. The fact that he did so led Komen to make a rule that any group that is the focus of an inquiry may not receive funds. What I didn’t know until last week is that the top leadership of Komen is Republican and conservative (not the issue), and they have apparently let their right-wing ideology leach into their policy-making (a big issue).

After a firestorm of protest, Komen did an about-face, apologizing to the public and restoring funding for this year and the right for Planned Parenthood to apply for funding in the future. Still, it will take more than a “never mind” to undo the damage.