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).
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.
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment