Who? Who Doesn't Want to Wear The Ribbon? Me Because Susan G. Komen Pissed Me Off This Week



Bob and Cedric From Seinfeld (I Had To Do It)

 Hey everybody out there in blogoland (hehe cute huh?). As you can see from the title of the post I'm about to go in on The Susan G. Komen Foundation. Unless you were living under a rock this week, you have heard by now that earlier this week the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation announced it was cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. The funding was going towards breast cancer screening for Planned Parenthood's patients who normally consist of low income individuals and those who do not have insurance to pay for these screenings. When asked why funding was being cut SGK said that they had implemented new policies that prevent them from assisting any program that is under investigation. Yes Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Washington because the bozos up there want to make sure that federal money is not funding abortions which some Planned Parenthoods provide (more on that later). Well after that announcement was made, the world of social media was on fire. There hasn't been this much buzz since Beyonce rubbed her belly at the VMAs. Anyway the general consensus was that SGK's decision was politically motivated and nothing more because PP was the only organization this new rule affected. At first SGK said it wasn't political and that they were not backing down from their decision. Well apparently as Nino Brown put it in New Jack City: money talks and bullsh*t runs a marathon because SGK reversed their decision and announced that Planned Parenthood would continue to collect grant money from SGK as long as they were eligible to do so.

If you know me I have a lot of passions in life such as my family, my husband, cooking, shopping, the search for a delicious cocktail that doesn't taste like disinfectant (more on that later too) and politics. I know you're thinking how is Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood political Afton? Well I didn't think that I would be able to say Susan G. Komen and politics in the same breath until recently when everyone wants to think that when you walk into a Planned Parenthood the first thing they want to do is kill unborn babies. Let me start from the beginning...

Abortion is not pretty. It is not fun. It is not an easy decision to make. Don't ask me how I know but trust me on this. It is painful. It is a lonely isolating decision that will dog you the rest of your life. As for my position on it, I feel that it is every woman's right to make that choice for herself. It is not the government's right at all. The people who want to take that choice of whether to have a child is the same government that will turn it's back on you if you have said child and need help keeping your head above water. Planned Parenthood is there when that decision has to be made. Some PP would rather not perform abortions and rather give counseling on where to go as well as other options such as adoption. Some PP do perform abortions but it is done in a medical setting according to the laws of the state they are in. Like I said there are some people who want abortions made illegal and it is those people who are now in charge of Susan G. Komen. One of the directors of the charity once ran for governor under a pro-life agenda and she wants to sit with a straight face and say that the decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood is not political? Yeah right I'm sure. What these nuts don't know or they know and don't care because they have an axe to grind is that Planned Parenthood provides health services to low income individuals. Those services include contraception and reproductive health. If you have a UTI and need to see someone, Planned Parenthood is there. Need birth control but embarrassed to ask the family doctor who comes to your house for dinner, Planned Parenthood is there. Abortions only account for 3% of what Planned Parenthood does. 3 stinkin percent. So when funding is cut, it doesn't hurt the ones who want an abortion because abortion clinics are a dime a dozen. It hurts the 97% who want affordable reproductive health care and that sucks hard (no pun intended).

So what to do moving forward from Susan G. Komen's fiasco? Well it all comes down to what we need to do as a collective people. We need to educate our sons and daughters about all aspects of sexuality. No we don't need to pop in Debbie Does Dallas and ask them to take notes. We need to have a frank heart to heart discussion on the ins and outs of sex (I know I know). When I was growing up, if I ever had a question about sex, I knew I could go to my mom. Sex Ed only covers so much. It is up to us to tell our kids not only our expectations but what needs to be done. For myself I can say that even though my girls are only 2 and 4 weeks old, I already know what I'm going to say to them. I would rather they did wait until they are married to have a sexual relationship with someone, but I'm not stupid either. I'm sure that's how my mother felt about me and my brother. In a dream world that would be perfect, but we know that it's not the truth. I would tell them that I don't want them to be stupid when it comes to making choices about sex. They need to protect themselves. The pill isn't going to save you from a disease that can't be cured, so make the guy wear a condom. That not only protects you but it protects the both of you from having to make a decision regarding the life of a child you may not be ready to take care of. That's the sad irony of those who want to close down Planned Parenthood. They want to push that no sex before marriage is the way to go. Hey if it was working then sure, but it's not. So get your head out of your culo and talk to your kids.

In closing let me just say this. I'm glad that Susan G. Komen changed their minds. Am I still mad? A little bit. Will I still try to enter the Race for the Cure? Maybe. Will I still buy or eat something pink? Of course. But I'll do it with my eyes a little more open now. Well folks rant is over. I'm about to cook me a Red Barons and do some homework. Until next time...