Case in point: the American Cancer Society. Many Americans have not been told or have not discovered that ACS favors human embryonic stem cell research, denies the connection between breast cancer and abortion and provides grants to Planned Parenthood.
The good people of Yuma, Arizona’s pro-life community, were taken aback when they wrote to the ACS and queried them, hoping that the information on our website would prove to be in error. But such was not the case.
In fact Cortney, an online information specialist for the American Cancer Society sent the following to Susan Crump in response to her query regarding their support for human embryonic stem cell research:
The Society believes it imperative to fully explore scientific discoveries that hold the promise of preventing, curing and controlling cancers to prevent the needless suffering and death of millions of Americans each year. We believe that scientific research that uses human embryonic stem cells holds extraordinary potential in the fight against many diseases, including cancer.
The Society itself has never directly funded any scientific research using human embryonic stem cells. We believe that the federal government remains the institution best suited to oversee research using human embryonic stem cells.
In addition, another pro-life activist received this from the American Cancer Society:
In regards to the Planned Parenthood grant, in 2006 and 2007, the Midwest Division of the American Cancer Society funded $8,000 in two Cancer Control grants to Planned Parenthood of Iowa. The grants are exclusively for the implementation of a smoking cessation program, and were only used to train clinic staff to provide smoking cessation assistance to patients and pregnant women. The program was a success, becoming the top source of health provider calls to Iowa's Quitline, a free program to reduce smoking-the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S.-in that state.
What is strange about this is that if the American Cancer Society were exercising due diligence with regards to its donors’ money, it would have realized that providing grants to controversial organizations like Planned Parenthood, regardless of the reason, is simply going to cause havoc in the community. Every dollar that ACS provides to Planned Parenthood frees up a dollar for the Planned Parenthood sexual saturation agenda. Thus, perhaps without realizing it, ACS is supporting all of the bad things Planned Parenthood is foisting on our children.
Furthering proving the ACS fails to exercise due diligence with regards to its donors' money, here is another paragraph from that email:
The breadth and depth of American Cancer Society research and patient programs are possible because of unparalleled community-based support that includes many Americans of diverse faith and moral traditions. The American Cancer Society respects personal beliefs and continues to serve as the nation's most trusted cancer organization. Planned Parenthood and many other organizations have broad constituent bases and solid networks that help us reach key audiences with potentially lifesaving information.
So one is left thinking that the author of the email, who is a trusted exeecutive with the American Cancer Society, is either living in a cocoon or buys into supports ghoulish research and has bought into the entire Planned Parenthood agenda. Such laudatory words, particularly those regarding Planned Parenthood, would never come from someone who is the least bit offended by Planned Parenthood’s brand of "moral tradition."
As you can imagine, the fur started to fly in Yuma. One wonderful leader emailed her entire membership to let them know that with a heavy heart she had withdrawn from the Relay for Life. She explained why and assured her group that by reading the email she had received from ACS they would understand her decision.
Another individual, Javier Negrete, local head of the Knights of Columbus, pulled all his troops out of the Relay for the very same reason. As far as I can tell the excitement will not ebb anytime soon. These people have proven, by their commitment to principle and their dedication to fact-finding, that when something doesn’t exactly smell right, it is best to get the facts and then act in defense of life and truth.
At American Life League our hats are off to Susan, Javier and all the wonderful pro-life people of Yuma! Just as Kit Carson put Yuma on the map during the days of the wild west, so too is the pro-life community of Yuma is blazing a trail that I hope and pray will become an example for the entire nation.