AngryBlackBitch: Pondering breast cancer, politics, and the 2 percent...

It has been one hell of a week, hasn?t it?

Happy Friday!

Shall we?

As most of you know, the Susan G. Komen Foundation chose to defund Planned Parenthood of grant funding for breast health programs that cover exams known to save lives.

In my home state of Missouri, Planned Parenthood affiliates perform 13,000 breast exams?2 percent of which are referred for additional examination.

Komen?s crisis management fail post announcement has opened up space for a broader examination of the charity?s operation and alarming social conservative roots.

But I?m going to do what Komen didn?t do - focus on the mission and the 2 percent of Missouri women who went into a Planned Parenthood exam room full of fear and uncertainty and walked out with resources, information, and Planned Parenthood standing with them as they begin the journey to defeat breast cancer.

Tis easy to become distracted by the rants from the right attempting to distort the breast health services Planned Parenthood provides.

Indefensible in the face of the daunting breast cancer mortality numbers black women face.

Indefensible in the face of the reality that Planned Parenthood breast exams filled a gap in the health care system that far too many fell through.

Indefensible in the face of the fact that it is Black History month and we should all be focused on making breast cancer a part of Black ?history? instead of creating hurdles that hinder access to care and services.

And indefensible when I consider the 2 percent - the sister who needs someplace to go because she felt something and knows she shouldn?t ignore it but doesn?t even know where to begin?the survivors who barely survived, because women dying due to lack of access to health care is acceptable to those opposed to reproductive justice?and those women who fought like hell, until the very last breath left their body, yet didn?t beat breast cancer because it was diagnosed too fucking late.

Shit.

Pause?collect thyself?continue.

The Komen Race for the Cure in my city of St. Louis is one of the few events that truly unite the city.

Rich, head-above-water, or poor.

LGBT, straight, somewhere on the Kinsey scale, or questioning.

Black or White or Asian or Native America.

Catholic or Jewish or Muslim or Quaker, Atheist, or Pagan.

Thousands of St. Louisans gather together, lace up sneakers or line up wheel-chairs, and walked-run-roll-shuffle...TOGETHER...united for a cure to breast cancer.

I?ve done the walk?I?ve reached the top of that hill to see the sea of people in front of me.

I?ve felt the rush of hope.

This cause deserves better than being dragged into the political muck by conservative operatives.

Source: http://angryblackbitch.blogspot.com/2012/02/pondering-breast-cancer-politics-and-2.html

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