The foundation’s website tells the public that 10 million women around the world could die from breast cancer in the next 25 years. That is a tragedy that could be avoided in large measure if the promoters of breast health would simply tell the truth about all the possible causes of the disease—including the use of the birth control pill. The Polycarp Research Institute presents the facts; they report, "As of 2003, 18 out of 21 retrospective studies show that women who take oral contraceptives prior to their first-term birth incur an increased risk in developing breast cancer."
However, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation ignores such "controversy" and prefers to cozy up to organizations like the pro-abortion, pro-birth control and pro-sexual promiscuity Planned Parenthood Federation of America. When Pro-Life Waco chose to expose this sordid relationship with billboards exposing the truth the Waco Tribune-Herald responded, not by praising the pro-life group for sharing the facts, but by labeling the billboards “false” and "specious." See our article here.
American Life League’s researcher, Marie Hahnenberg, points out, “By giving money to Planned Parenthood, the Komen Foundation is defeating its own mission of defeating breast cancer.”
Having said all this, the controversy over Komen has spilled over into the Catholic Church as well, where one diocese chose to apologize to the Komen Foundation for making the statement that the Foundation was aligned with Planned Parenthood; other dioceses have reiterated their opposition to Komen based on the Komen alliance with Planned Parenthood.
One news report on this ongoing controversy notes, “The St. Louis and Lafayette dioceses recently reaffirmed their opposition to support for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, despite the Little Rock diocese’s decision to retract previous discouragement of Komen funding.”
I happen to like a quote from the Lafayette Diocese because it is based on using the common sense approach to charitable giving and knowing precisely how your dollars are spent. The Lafayette Diocese statement reads, in part:
Donors cannot control how an organization designates its funds. Therefore, money donated for a specific service, i.e. breast health care, directly frees up funds to support other areas of an organization's agenda, i.e. contraceptive services, 'safe' sex education and abortion services.
As is always the case when deciding how to part with charitable dollars, one rule of thumb should apply: If you cannot expect complete accountability from the charity you are looking into then your hard earned money should go elsewhere. And in the case of charities like Komen and Planned Parenthood—pardon the use of the word charity—there is no doubt that problems not only exist but persist even in the face of repeated denials from the Komen personnel.
We all want to see an end to breast cancer—we all want see a real cure. But frankly, we also want to make it quite clear that honesty must prevail as the basis for claims about causes, treatments and cures of breast cancer. When an organization like Komen refuses to admit the connection between the birth control pill and breast cancer, the only thing they deserve from our charitable hearts is our prayers.
