BREAST CANCER POLITICS
Here’s an example of “public relations” power:
CNN posted an article saying “Komen restores Parenthood funding,” after the organization announced they wouldn’t support Planned Parenthood anymore. Here’s Komen’s quote:
“We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.”
What this means: “We won’t cut the grants we already gave, because that would be totally illegal. But when they apply next year, we won’t give them any money.”
So nothing has changed. Good use of wording, though. It fooled a writer at CNN…
This is a funny explanation of the situation, BTW.
The bigger issue is their decision to not support stem-cell research. Komen is not primarily an “aid” organization; their main purpose is to fund research into finding a cure for breast cancer. That’s why people do all those “Walk For The Cure” events—they provide money for research. But the main, and really the only credible, source of research into cancer cures is stem cell research. So Komen is now raising money for research techniques that won’t help anything, and because of her religious beliefs, less progress will be made into finding that cure. If the new director believes stem cell research is against her morals, then maybe the field of cancer research isn’t the best career move for her.
This is why I don’t give to these big national organizations; the money disappears to pay the salaries of these decision-makers, and the mission of the organization itself is lost. Human Rights Campaign is another example—they issue press releases announcing all the advancements that are made for gay rights, but if you read the announcements, they are just explanations of something accomplished by another organization. But the news came from their email, so people presume HRC did it, and they send HRC money. They succeed on the power of their own publicity.
There are lots of local organizations wherever you live that can make really good use of a few dollars. Look around and put your money there.
