The Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Foundation with their PINK RIBBON merchandise has long been associated with fighting breast cancer. Now apparently they are more interested in raising money, then saving lives. Due to the million dollar donations the Susan G. Komen Foundation receives from a large number of companies that use Bisphenol A. (BPA) in their products they have chosen to ignore the link between BPA and Breast Cancer.
Thus, not only does early exposure to BPA lead to an increased risk for development of breast tumors, but exposure to BPA during chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer may make the treatment less effective. Recent data further suggests that BPA leads normal human breast cells to behave like cancer cells, and indicates that BPA may also make cells less responsive to the cancer-inhibiting effects of the anti-estrogen tamoxifen (Goodson, 2011).The Breast Cancer Fund
Although The Breast Cancer Fund has tallied 22 studies that have found that exposure to BPA increase the risk of breast cancer or worsen it's prognosis Komen continues to maintain on their website that BPA is "safe".
A study published in the Oxford University Press journal, Carcinogenesis, concludes that healthy breast cells exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA) and methylparaben, a common ingredient in beauty products, change from normal and begin to grow and survive like cancer cells. This new research also indicates that BPA exposure may reduce the effectiveness of certain popular and promising breast cancer drugs. California Pacific Medical Center
Komen has also stopped their funding of Planned Parenthood which performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants. According to Komen the decision stemmed from newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations "under investigation". But apparently they aren't applying their new criteria to all the organizations that apply for grants.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which recently announced that it is ending grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening because of a controversial investigation launched by an anti-abortion Republican congressman, currently funds cancer research at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to the tune of $7.5 million. Like Planned Parenthood, Penn State is currently the subject of a federal government investigation, and like the Planned Parenthood grant, the Penn State grant appears to violate a new internal rule at Komen that bans grants to organizations that are under investigation by federal, state, or local governments. But so far, only the Planned Parenthood grants appear to have been cancelled. ~ Mother Jones
If this isn't enough to make you think twice about supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure maybe their bullying of other organizations will be.
In addition to raising millions of dollars a year for breast cancer research, fundraising giant Susan G. Komen for the Cure has a lesser-known mission that eats up donor funds: patrolling the waters for other charities and events around the country that use any variation of "for the cure" in their names.
"It happened to my family," said Roxanne Donovan, whose sister runs Kites for a Cure, a family kite-flying event that raises money for lung cancer research. "They came after us ferociously with a big law firm. They said they own 'cure' in a name and we had to stop using it, even though we were raising money for an entirely different cause.
Donovan's sister, Mary Ann Tighe, said the Komen foundation sent her a letter asking her to stop using the phrase "for a cure" in their title and to never use the color pink in conjunction with their fundraising. What bothered her most about the whole ordeal, she said, was that Komen forced her to spend money and time on legal fees and proceedings instead of raising funds for cancer.
Blum told HuffPost that legal fees comprise a "very small part" of Komen's budget, but according to Komen's financial statements, such costs add up to almost a million dollars a year in donor funds.
Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word 'Cure'
Read more at
Lawsuits for the Cure and
Poor Pink Goliath
Needless to say this is one consumer that will no longer be supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure if your product sports Komen's pink ribbon, I will not purchase it. There are many worthy charities that truly do strive to fight cancer they will be the ones that get my donations.
For those of you who wish to learn more about Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Pink Ribbons, Inc. is a feature documentary that shows how the devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a "dream cause," has been hijacked by a shiny, pink story of success.
I just heard that Komen has reversed it's decision not to fund Planned Parenthood. In my opinion that was the least of their transgressions and I still intend to boycott Komen. I suggest that donations be given directly to Planned Parenthood and earmarked for cancer screening instead of having them routed thru Komen.
First published at Alasandra's Place