Friday, February 3, 2012

Susan G. Komen, Politics, Planned Parenthood, My Body, and My Pennies

I don't have a lot to give to charity these days. A cross-country move, plus a year of unexpected medical costs have left the well near-dry. But when I do give, as I did last year, I usually give to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. A seemingly noble cause, and, until quite recently, a group that seemed to keep itself apart from the rising tide of anti-woman politics. A good thing--last thing we need is a breast cancer charity that kicks women in the teeth and fails to defend their rights and stand up for their physical integrity.

Ooops.

I can't even describe my horror at SGK's recent turn against Planned Parenthood. No organization in the world stands up for women like Planned Parenthood. No other organization can compare when it comes to providing for women and empowering them. Planned Parenthood is the single most important and effective barrier between ME and those who would take away my right to determine my own reproductive fate. We take birth control for granted these days, but just a couple generations back, a woman had no say. A woman was trapped, wasn't able to determine her own family size. Not even if her life depended on it.

Don't think it can't happen again--there are presidential candidates RIGHT NOW talking about doing away with birth control. The past few years have taught me that NO right is a "given," NO right, no matter how obvious, how "self-evident," is safe. If we don't guard them, someone will take them away.

See, the one-eyed, freakishly narrow right will squeal and cry that this is about "murdering babies!" No it's not--it's about not enslaving women. If you're a woman and you think it's about "helpless babies," you've been utterly fooled. Planned Parenthood makes for FEWER abortions because they provide free and low-cost BIRTH CONTROL and SEX EDUCATION; two things PROVEN to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Reduce unplanned pregnancies and you LOWER the call for abortions. You stupid, stupid people, you're attacking the one organization that does more than any other to prevent abortion. And if you're a woman, you're making war against your own because you've had the right-wing wool pulled over your sheeply eyes.

Susan G. Komen's foundation can whine that they didn't really pull funding, that it's about rules and regulations, but that's a crock of frothy feces and we all know it. It's ass-covering and double-speak that even their own people don't believe. Their own administrators are jumping ship, resigning over the politically motivated defunding of Planned Parenthood.

Come on, kids--what happens when you place a famously anti-choice, anti-Planned Parenthood figure in a position of authority at SGK? Well, THIS happens. Duh.

Like I said, I don't have a lot to give, but this year my spare change goes straight to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood, who saw me for free back in my poverty-stricken college days and found those changes in my cervix before they could threaten my life or my ability to have children. Yeah, that's right--I have a child because Planned Parenthood came through for me. Chew on that.

Thank you to everyone who came through for Planned Parenthood after Susan G. Komen for the Cure threw them (and us) under the bus. And to those at SGK responsible for this?

Shame. Oh, shame on you.

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