Pelvic Politics

I'm fired up again. Last week it was the Susan B. Komen Foundation cutting off all possibility of funding women's health grants to Planned Parenthood (PP). Wow. I haven't Raced For the Cure for the Foundation for several years in Des Moines, but have in the past. Breast Cancer is something that has touched all of us.

But it seemed to me the event here in town was becoming so huge - over 20,000 walkers in DSM at last count. Then everywhere one looked the Komen name popped up. I saw it on products, with the trademark "for the cure". And pink ribbons everywhere. The Foundation was big stuff.

Prior to last week, I didn't know the back story of the pro-life "new hire" of the Georgia politician hired by the foundation CEO. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being pro-life in my eyes. I'm all for it - just not at all costs. Which is what got in the eyes of the Foundation I believe. The new goal, to strip funding from PP became a new side-mission. Though they won't admit it. They came up with a new rule that said an entity couldn't receive grant funding if it was under congressional investigation. And Surprise! That was PP.

Finally - something I've been waiting for. The women of American woke up! They found their voices and spoke up. SGK wasn't ready for the backlash - on Facebook, in the media, and most importantly around coffee shops and water coolers. I was pissed. This is a Foundation that in my mind should not be political - yet here it was, getting dirty with the best of them. I'm so sick of it.

In Creston, Iowa, where I live, the only access that some women have to a breast exam is through PP. They can't show up at Creston Medical Clinic and expect a free or reduced cost exam. Nope. So to cut that off, putting women at risk, because SGK now decided that PP isn't a pristine enough supplier of these needed health services sucks. 

The backlash was immense, and SGK was forced to change their policy. Some board members have resigned. They have egg on their faces. It's still not clear whether PP will receive future grant funds from the foundation. I don't trust them - and I'm not sure many others do.

On to the whole Catholic Church/Contraception thing. I couldn't say it much better than NYT Columnist Nicholas Kristof, who writes an evenhanded column.

I've been back and forth on this issue. I've read lots of articles on the topic. I disagree with the way the Catholic Church handles the whole issue of birth control - head in the sand (the fact that 98% of the flock uses birth control). I must admit I can't argue the theology of the whole thing as I'm not an expert in that area. All I know is people are people - and they aren't going to use the rythym method...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/opinion/sunday/kristof-beyond-pelvic-politics.html

It's been an interesting couple weeks.