PD Editorial: Politics should not come at cost of health

<p>Is there no place where the cancer of our current politics won't spread?</p><p>We're left to wonder following the reckless decision by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity to revoke grants to Planned Parenthood — and its subsequent retreat from that decision in the face of phenomenal public backlash.</p><p>We should call it a semi-retreat as Komen's apology is not a pledge to renew Planned Parenthood grants next year.</p><p>“We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities,” read the statement that Komen issued Friday.</p><p>The statement also noted that leaders from Komen “have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood.”</p><p>How could they not be interpreted that way?</p><p>Komen's stated justification for this action seemed far more rooted to a certain political ideology than the organization's own mission.</p><p>This all began when Susan G. Komen, the nation's leading breast cancer charity, announced Tuesday that it had adopted a new policy against partnering with organizations that are under investigation. As a result, it said it was severing ties with Planned Parenthood which is the target of a congressional investigation on allegations that is has improperly used federal funds to pay for abortions.</p><p>Let's set aside for the moment that this investigation is spearheaded by a conservative, pro-life congressman, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who has seeking to cut funding for Planned Parenthood for some time. And let's forget the fact that the fast majority of Planned Parenthood's services are devoted to screening for breast, cervical and testicular cancers; testing for sexually transmitted diseases; treating for menopause and addressing other women's health issues. Besides all of that, whatever happened to the presumption of innocence?</p><p>As a result, it's hard not to see in this move the fingerprints of Karen Handel, a former pro-life Georgia gubernatorial candidate who has served as Komen's senior vice president for public policy since April. She had already stated her opposition to Planned Parenthood and, according to some reports, had vowed to cut ties with the organization.</p><p>Komen was right to reverse course. But its explanation for doing so remains as obscure as its decision to go in that direction in the first place.</p><p>All of this just underscores how easy it is for an organization, even one with the size and strength of Susan G. Komen, to lose sight of its core mission in today's supercharged political environment. The tragedy is that if Komen had not reversed itself, some women might have missed an opportunity to be screened for breast cancer.</p><p>Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. We don't need to add to that risk through manufactured divisions among worthy organizations that are making a difference and saving lives.</p>