Non-France Post

So, there's only so much room on Facebook to elaborate on my feelings besides what fits in a Facebook status, so I'm going to use this space to take a quick break from life in France and to make it clear how upset I am about the Susan G. Komen Foundation taking away their annual funding from Planned Parenthood.

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-planned-parenthood-komen-20120201,0,4104682.story

According to the article, over the last five years Susan G. Komen has funded 170,000 breast exams and 6,400 mammograms referrals for Planned Parenthood, and when I think about how many women's lives those could have potentially saved, it makes my stomach hurt knowing that that large number of breast exams and mammograms won't exist in the future.

It also hurts for a reason that I take slightly more personally. I've heard Nancy Brinker (the founder of Susan G. Komen) speak twice in person, and both times she was eloquent and inspiring. She founded the organization after her sister died of breast cancer, and Nancy Brinker herself is a survivor. More importantly, she's a alumna of my sorority. The first time I heard her speak was at our Convention in 2009, when she talked about the days when people still believed that breast cancer was contagious, and about how the death of her sister inspired her to found what would become one of the most successful charities in the world.

The second time was in 2010, when my sorority sister Courtney and our advisor Jen (also a breast cancer survivor) participated in a Susan G. Komen walk in Newport one weekend where Nancy Brinker made an appearance and gave another inspiring speech, honoring the 1,000+ breast cancer survivors who were present that day.

(Nancy Brinker speaking in Newport).

It hurts that as a sorority woman and as a breast cancer survivor herself, she allowed her organization to bow to anti-abortion pressure, when in all likelihood that funding is helping Planned Parenthood save women's lives.

No matter your stance on abortion, I hope you'll understand why I don't see any logic in Susan G. Komen's decision. I'm really really disappointed in what is otherwise a really important organization and I wish there was some way that I could really show my disapproval.