Stand Up

Yesterday I learned that the Susan G. Komen Foundation had just pulled all of its funding from Planned Parenthood due to pressure from pro-life groups. This does not come as a shock to me as this organization has chosen to flex its muscles politically in the past and is quickly losing sight of what is truly important- ending breast cancer and supporting those touched by it. I was, however, shocked and please at the immense outcry against this move. When the funding cut was announced Twitter and all the other big social media platforms froze and then were flooded with activity. And while pro-lifers may be doing a victory dance, the donations that have come crashing into Planned Parenthood may very well make up the difference.

Most people, when they think of Planned Parenthood, think solely about birth control and possibly abortions. I always thought of them as a place to go if you couldn’t afford a pregnancy test or a pap smear, a place that educated women and helped those who couldn’t afford conventional health care. Only through my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, did I learn that Planned Parenthood also offered mammograms for low income women, educated them about monthly self breast exams, and the importance of early detection.

So why on earth would the Komen Foundation stop funding for this important cause?? Well, the pro-life groups didn’t like it and raised a stink. The imposed their religious beliefs on the charity and pressured them to cut the ties. It was cowardly and NOT something that Susan G. Komen would have stood behind. Of course the foundation’s base is scrambling against the backlash, even putting out a short little video in defense of their actions on their Facebook Wall. But people aren’t fooled. As of today Planned Parenthood has received over $400,000 in private donations, including a $250,000 donation from a couple in Texas. About 26% believe that the Komen Foundation made the right move in cutting off funding but the majority are rallying behind Planned Parenthood, signing petitions, and showing support any way that they can. Many news reports have come out since the announcement, like this one, and I am sure in the coming days more will be written.

Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, when we start to politicize women’s health everyone loses. Again, we are trying to cure breast cancer through early detection and funding, not turn it into an arena of religious views. If you want to show your support please sign this petition, make your thoughts known, and shift your donations directly to Planned Parenthood.  This letter was sent from a supporter and I love it’s message:

This is for all the anti-choice, anti-women people out there.

Listen up.

You can spend every minute of every day trying to force the rest of us to live by your ideology. You can go after federal funds for health care and pressure private organizations like the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to stop funding breast cancer screenings for poor women. You can try to make it impossible to get birth control.

But you know what you can’t do? You can’t win. You can’t break us. Planned Parenthood isn’t just a family of organizations. It’s a movement. It’s women and men of all ages who believe that health care — including reproductive health care — is a basic human right. We are millions strong. We are everywhere. We act, we give, and we do whatever it takes to make sure that Planned Parenthood is there for the women, men, and teens who rely on them.

Know this: When you go after Planned Parenthood and the people they serve, you go after ME. I stand with Planned Parenthood. I stand with them against anyone who wants to stop women from receiving the health care they need. I stand with them today, tomorrow, and for as long as I need to.

 

Sign the Petition!

Please please please, if you enjoy sites like Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, and so many others…. if you are a crafter, a blogger, a small business owner…. take action and stop the bills PIPA and SOPA from passing though Congress. Tell them that censorship is not ok and it is an infringement on our freedoms. This is not the answer to protecting copyrights and will hurt so many people. Call your Congressman, email, write, spread the news to everyone you know. This bill would make you liable for posting a video of your child singing a Justin Beiber song or for another person uploading content that is protected. It is not the answer to the problem!!!

Go here to make your voice heard!!

Without Your Consent…

There are many things that parents will not allow their children to do without their consent or at least knowing… sleep over a friend’s house, join a club, go swimming, cross a busy street, go on a date. But did you know that in the state of California it was decided that children can make a really important decision that can affect their entire lives without your knowledge or consent? Children, as young as 12, now get to make the decision whether to get vaccinated for STD’s and there is nothing that the parents can do about it.

Never mind that the Gardisal vaccine has caused an untold amount of damage to young people, never mind the fact that these vaccines are being pushed onto minors who are not given the chance to make an informed decision… don’t believe me? Just go here to see all the official reports on the “possible” side effects that this dangerous drug has had on so many girls. It is bad enough that even mainstream pediatricians and family doctors are not administering it because even the developer himself has stated that the drug only prevents abnormal pap smears, not cervical cancer itself.

But aside from the fact that this is a vaccine that has had so many issues- what about those who have religious reasons for declining the vaccinations? Are those kids pulled out from all the pressuring and “information” that is being passed out? What about the kids whose parents took the time to fill out the Philosophical Belief form to decline the vaccinations? Are they being pressured through fear to get vaccines? As a parent I have a serious problem with ANYONE sticking anything into my kids that may damage them, ESPECIALLY without my consent! What happens when a child has a reaction and because the parent had no clue that they were given a shot (because of course kids don’t always hand over important papers, especially concerning sex and such!) medical attention is delayed too long? Do you see where I am having a problem with this new law…

Finally, what happens when a child is injured from the vaccine, who is going to be responsible? Did anyone stop to think that by telling kids that this shot will help prevent STD’s that the rate of unprotected sex is going to skyrocket? Sigh… I find it to be a sad day when the state feels that informed parents are getting in the way of it’s agenda so it is going straight to the kids, whom it is supposed to be protecting. Even worse is the fact that if something does go wrong and your child has an adverse reaction- there is absolutely no accountability.

Would you buy a car from a manufacturer that has a history of faulty parts AND you can’t seek retribution if your car happens to be faulty? NO! So why is everyone ok with injecting poisons into their kids and just *hoping* for the best?