From De-fund the Komen Foundation

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We've been asked to write a statement explaining why taking part in
Komen's races and walks is not a good way to support breast cancer
research and awareness. Here is something you can send to friends, or
post elsewhere in its entirety, if you'd like to let others know why you
aren't behind Komen and would encourage alternatives to taking part in
their events.

Alongside blossoming cherry trees, mating birds and longer days of
Spring comes the inevitable spate of events sponsored by the Susan G.
Komen Foundation known as “Race for the Cure.” They are well attended,
widely publicized – and they are huge money-makers for the once revered
cancer charity which now finds itself facing a battle over its own
malignancy following a self-inflicted controversy earlier this year.

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And if you have an intimate, personal connection to the Komen Foundation
because of a fateful intersection between you or a loved one, and the
dread disease of breast cancer, it’s likely you have a decision to make.

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It’s easy to understand why these races and walks draw millions of
participants nationwide. The fight against any cancer provokes a range
of emotions from fear and despair to hope and relief. The Komen
Foundation’s ability to galvanize support through public events has left
a mark on the nation for more than two decades.

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But the charity also has raised significant concerns around its mission,
its efficacy and its actual dedication to curing cancer. Following its
high-profile move to stop supporting fellow health advocate Planned
Parenthood, Komen’s inner workings were exposed when several groups and
individuals looked closer into its fiscal operations and discovered
troubling aspects such as enormously high salaries for an unusually vast
number of executive positions, questionable choices of merchandise
offered for re-sale, appalling policies of litigating against smaller
breast health charities who co-opt the phrase “for the cure,” and any
number of activities that call into question the overall benefit of its
role as a true warrior in the fight against breast cancer.

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Komen’s financial filings are public documents available for inspection
by anyone. Its most recently published documents show an alarmingly low
proportion of revenues which are actually spent toward eradicating
breast cancer, and an appalling penchant for compensating high-level
executives at a rate seen in for-profit corporations.

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This alone raises questions over whether the organization is a good
choice for those who hope to donate toward an organization committed to
expediting an end to the scourge of a disease impacting so many women
and men alike. But the ideological and political elements interwoven
into Komen’s mission should not be ignored. Its decision to cut Planned
Parenthood out of the funding loop – made worse by a confusing and
evolving justification for doing so – should stand as sufficient proof
that the organization can no longer be viewed as an objective, dedicated
entity striving for improving women’s health care.

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For this reason, and those stated above, we cannot recommend
participation in any of Susan G. Komen’s events, nor can we advise
contributing to its coffers at any point in the future. There are any
number of viable alternatives which commit resources and efforts toward
researching and eradicating breast cancer, and which offer support and
education for patients and their loved ones.

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Rewarding Komen for its unfortunate choices and disturbing structural,
fiscal operations is a step in the wrong direction. Please demonstrate
your concerns by refraining from taking part in Komen races, and show
them you will no longer support an organization committed more to its
social standing than to its stated mission. Its “Race for the Cure” has
become a race for notoriety and market share, and we cannot in good
conscience enable such a disappointing and counter-effective strategy.