Poll: Will Komen St. Louis Suffer From Recent National Controversy?
At the start of the month the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation implemented a new funding policy that would cease funding $680,000/yr in breast cancer services at Planned Parenthood, setting off a huge backlash against Komen. On February 3rd the new policy was reversed:
After Komen’s decision to end the grants became public, Planned Parenthood raised about $3 million in pledges from more than 10,000 donors, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood’s president, said in a call with reporters. Komen announced its reversal in a statement today with an apology “to the American public†from Chief Executive Officer Nancy Brinker. (Bloomberg)
On Facebook, many of my friends said they were done with Komen which got me wondering about the annual fundraiser in St. Louis.
Will the 2012 event have fewer participants than the 64,461 last year?
The 14th annual Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure® will take place in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, June 23, 2012.
Sharon Korn and Stacy Kingston will serve as volunteer co-chairs of the 2012 Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure.
“I look forward to seeing a huge crowd gathered in downtown St. Louis on the morning of June 23,†said Korn. “It’s such an exciting day and a meaningful event that directly benefits those in need in our community. I am so honored to be a part of it.â€
In June 2011, the Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure welcomed 64,461 participants. The event raised more than $3.1 million in the fight to end breast cancer forever.
Up to 75 percent of the net money raised by the Komen St. Louis Affiliate stays in the St. Louis area to fund screening, treatment, education and research programs. A minimum of 25 percent of money raised goes to the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure Research and Awards Program® specifically to fund research. (Komen St. Louis)
This is the setup for the poll question this week — see right sidebar.
– Steve Patterson
Given what we now know about the spending priorities of Koman that last paragraph is an outright lie. It implies that most funds stay in STL which i suspect is no true and that virtually no funds are used for administration and overhead. As a breast cancer survivor who has previously supported Koman I am seriously offended. PS Steve iPad 2 users can’t see te right column to vote, unless I am doing something wrong.
Given what we now know about the spending priorities of Koman that last paragraph is an outright lie. It implies that most funds stay in STL which i suspect is no true and that virtually no funds are used for administration and overhead. As a breast cancer survivor who has previously supported Koman I am seriously offended. PS Steve iPad 2 users can’t see te right column to vote, unless I am doing something wrong.
I too was offended by Komen’s action. The right column is visible on my iPad 1. I’ll send you a private email to discuss.
I too was offended by Komen’s action. The right column is visible on my iPad 1. I’ll send you a private email to discuss.
Planned Parenthood has become the face of abortion, which is truly unfortunate since abortion is a very minor part of what they do every day. Their primary goal is to educate people, primarily young women, about the options they have regarding pregnancy, everything from birth control to STD’s to the morning-after pill to, yes, abortion. I get that people can be morally opposed to some, or all, of these options, but the Komen debacle illustrates what happens complex organizations are boiled down to absolutes. Should we all boycott SLU Hospital because they won’t do vasectomies? Should we boycott Komen because a tiny fraction of their grants goes to an organization we don’t like? Should we boycott the United Way because they fund groups we disagree with?
Money is fungible, it’s all green and it all spends. If you want to play the semantic game that “my” donation or “my” taxes can’t be used to fund “X”, then fine, non-profits will play that game. The reality is that both PP and Komen are a) trying to do good, positive, things, and b) their funding comes from multiple sources. Bottom line, medical choices are highly personal – if you don’t want to have an abortion, don’t have one. And if you don’t want other people to have one, give them better options than just “keep your knees together”! Sex happens, even among good, Christian people. It can either be planned and managed or it can “just happen”. The downside to “just happens”, without resources like PP, includes STD’s, poverty, abuse and a higher incidence of birth defects.
Planned Parenthood has become the face of abortion, which is truly unfortunate since abortion is a very minor part of what they do every day. Their primary goal is to educate people, primarily young women, about the options they have regarding pregnancy, everything from birth control to STD’s to the morning-after pill to, yes, abortion. I get that people can be morally opposed to some, or all, of these options, but the Komen debacle illustrates what happens complex organizations are boiled down to absolutes. Should we all boycott SLU Hospital because they won’t do vasectomies? Should we boycott Komen because a tiny fraction of their grants goes to an organization we don’t like? Should we boycott the United Way because they fund groups we disagree with?
Money is fungible, it’s all green and it all spends. If you want to play the semantic game that “my” donation or “my” taxes can’t be used to fund “X”, then fine, non-profits will play that game. The reality is that both PP and Komen are a) trying to do good, positive, things, and b) their funding comes from multiple sources. Bottom line, medical choices are highly personal – if you don’t want to have an abortion, don’t have one. And if you don’t want other people to have one, give them better options than just “keep your knees together”! Sex happens, even among good, Christian people. It can either be planned and managed or it can “just happen”. The downside to “just happens”, without resources like PP, includes STD’s, poverty, abuse and a higher incidence of birth defects.
I’m not Komen to any ‘pink’ events
I’m not Komen to any ‘pink’ events
Abortion saves lives (in many ways) so naturally it’s part of the PP solutions list.  Why some people choose to define PP based one (small) service they facilitate is baffling.
Given the iron grip that the religious right has on this nation I’m surprised that Komen was funding PP in any capacity to begin with.  You’d think it would be fundraising suicide anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon.  In any case I’d think if Komen had just ignored the outcry and let the news cycle move on to other issues they could have escaped this with less controversy.Basing health care choices on millennia old religious doctrine is a dangerous game to play with your life, but for better or worse, it’s a choice Americans are allowed to make. Â
Abortion saves lives (in many ways) so naturally it’s part of the PP solutions list. Why some people choose to define PP based one (small) service they facilitate is baffling.
Given the iron grip that the religious right has on this nation I’m surprised that Komen was funding PP in any capacity to begin with. You’d think it would be fundraising suicide anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon. In any case I’d think if Komen had just ignored the outcry and let the news cycle move on to other issues they could have escaped this with less controversy.Basing health care choices on millennia old religious doctrine is a dangerous game to play with your life, but for better or worse, it’s a choice Americans are allowed to make.