February 02, 2012 12:48 AM UTC

Denver Affiliate to National Komen for a Cure: Oh, Put a Sock in It

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• by: ProgressiveCowgirl

You can’t roll your eyes much louder than this without pulling a muscle. As the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation pulled Planned Parenthood’s grant funding this week, its Denver affiliate went rogue, announcing that Planned Parenthood will receive a grant for the upcoming grant cycle, through March of 2013.

According to a Facebook post by the Denver affiliate, Komen has granted its Denver branch a special exemption permitting Denver-area Planned Parenthood health centers to receive funding. Komen grants to Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains are used to detect breast cancer and educate patients about breast health.

Full text and more info after the jump:

Here’s Komen’s Denver affiliate’s full-length Facebook announcement. I’ve added paragraphs for easy reading, but you can view the original (and give Denver’s Komen a “like” for supporting women’s health) on Facebook.

Recently, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has been criticized for changes in its’ grants program criteria that has resulted in Planned Parenthood no longer being eligible to receive Komen community grant funds.

The Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has been granted an exception for the Affiliate to fund Planned Parenthood for the grant cycle April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013 pending the Grant Review Committee and Board of Directors approval of their grant application.

The Affiliate closely monitors all grantees to guarantee the awarded funds are used as intended and NOT used outside the scope of our promise to end breast cancer. The monitoring includes 6-month, 9-month and final reports; site visit; and quarterly coalition meetings.

This year the Colorado’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program, the Women’s Wellness Connection Program (WWC), suffered a budget reduction and nearly 5,500 women will not be able to access services through this life-saving program and 85 cancers may go undiagnosed. The community is looking to Komen Denver Affiliate to provide the services the state can no longer fund.

In 2010, the Affiliate grant awarded to Planned Parenthood was responsible for finding 19% of the breast cancers discovered through Komen dollars. Also, they provided breast health/cancer education to 2,264 women, 601 clinical breast examinations and referred and paid for 57 mammograms. 125 women were referred for additional diagnostics.

Now more than ever Komen Denver Metropolitan Affiliate has a responsibility to support the underserved community and we will continue to help ensure that all women have access to quality breast health care.”

And, as long as we’re quoting things, let’s go ahead and quote Komen for a Cure’s spankin’ new Vice President, former pro-life gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel:

“I will be a pro-life governor who will work tirelessly to promote a culture of life in Georgia…. I believe that each and every unborn child has inherent dignity, that every abortion is a tragedy, and that government has a role, along with the faith community, in encouraging women to choose life in even the most difficult of circumstances…. since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood.”

But, of course, the defunding of Planned Parenthood by Komen for a Cure has nothing to do with politics, right, spokeswoman Leslie Aun?

A spokeswoman for the Komen foundation, Leslie Aun, told The Associated Press that the main factor in the decision was a new rule adopted by Komen that prohibits grants to organizations being investigated by local, state or federal authorities. Ms. Aun told The A.P. that Planned Parenthood was therefore disqualified from financing because of an inquiry being conducted by Representative Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, who is looking at how Planned Parenthood spends and reports its money.

Okay, then.

I hereby call on any pro-choice Senator or Congressional representative to place Susan G. Komen for a Cure under investigation, and see if they continue spending money on their own work. If any politically motivated “investigation” can bar an organization from providing free and low-cost mammograms with critical Komen foundation dollars, let’s see how serious they really are about following that “new rule,” shall we?

In the meantime, I’ll be sending a thank-you note to Denver’s Komen affiliate for its courage. Please join me:

Komen Denver

1835 Franklin Street

Denver, CO 80218

303-744-2088