Most of the angst and anger over the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to deny $700,000 in grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening — and then its sudden reversal of that decision — has passed.
Of course, the actions of Komen National will need to be watched closely, because despite vehement statements by CEO Nancy Brinker that the original decision to defund Planned Parenthood was “not political,” it was obvious that anti-choice, anti-Planned Parenthood groups had driven the decision.
Even highly placed professionals and board members within the National Komen organization admitted this, some of whom resigned in protest.
Ignored in the debate was the job-threatening courage of our local Colorado Komen affiliates in going against their national office to ensure those breast-screening funds were well used by a trusted partner.
On Feb. 2, the Denver Metropolitan affiliate challenged the National headquarters with a public Internet statement that read in part:
“We believe affiliates should be able to make local decisions that best serve their communities. We need help in changing this policy. Click here for instructions on how to send an e-mail to Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker and tell her to reverse Komen’s National decision.” And Coloradans “clicked” like crazy.
I asked Denver affiliate executive director Michele Ostrander about the risk of instigating a “revolution” against National Komen. “The worst-case scenario was that we would be kicked out of the organization and that all 11 of our staff would lose our jobs,” she said. “But we were willing to risk this because of the vulnerable women we serve. We have always been above politics. This life and death issue knows no sides of the partisan aisle.”
Vicki Cowart, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said, “I have nothing but respect for Michele and Komen Denver. They are the classic example of a courageous group doing what they believe in, no matter their fears.”
Although Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains receives only 4.3 percent of the Denver Komen grants, last year its clinicians found 19 percent of all the breast cancers discovered in the Denver area with the Komen money.
“Because of the Komen funds, women can be screened free of charge right at our clinics, no matter the reason they come in,” added Cowart. This is important because 84 percent of Planned Parenthood patients in Metro Denver have no insurance, so they are often unable to go elsewhere.
Logan Hood, executive director of Aspen Komen, felt completely “blindsided” by the edict from National. Hood tried to figure out who else, besides the Glenwood Springs Planned Parenthood Health Center, could serve the many vulnerable women between Eagle and Parachute, and between Aspen and Glenwood.
She concluded that no one could.
“I’m not a rebellious person, but when I realized that hundreds of women — we served 300 last year — might go without screenings, I knew we had to do something.” So Komen Aspen also went public in expressing dissent from national and asking supporters to do the same. (Both Denver and Aspen were fully supported by their boards of directors.)
“Denver spoke and we were heard,” wrote Denver Komen to its supporters on Feb. 3 when word came from National Komen that it would reverse its ban. Yes, and Aspen was heard, too, as were the seven California affiliates who rebelled as well. In short, Colorado helped lead national Komen’s reversal.
Kudos to Michele Ostrander and Logan Hood and their organizations for their courage, and thanks to Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood for working with them, not against them, for the benefit of the women they serve.
“But will you actually still support Komen after this fiasco?” asked a friend of mine last week.
The Colorado affiliates, you bet. National? Let’s wait and see.
Dottie Lamm, breast cancer survivor and former first lady of Colorado, has been a Planned Parenthood advocate for 50 years, and a Komen supporter for 30.
