Some pink Bibles, which were for sale in retail outlets since October 2011, have been recalled because it was discovered that part of their sales money went towards breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, a US family planning organization which also provides abortions. The Southern Baptist Convention’s publishing arm says it is recalling the Bibles.

Commentators say the move will have no impact on abortions figures, but will hurt lower-income women who would have received free breast cancer screenings.

LifeWay Christian Resources, a seller of Christian publications and part of The Southern Baptist Convention, has stopped selling the pink Bibles. The pink-bound books are of the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Part of the sales of these Bibles went to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer charity, which said all those donations were going towards breast cancer screening. The Komen Foundation says it is disappointed with the recall.

Apparently, LifeWay received “about three dozen complaints” that Komen affiliates were sponsoring mammographies at Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood offers abortions as part of its family planning services.

Many products and symbols are colored pink as a gesture of breast cancer awareness, such as pink shoes, mouse pads, ribbons, etc. There used to be a pink Holman Christian Standard Bible for sale; that is, until last Wednesday.

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The Pink Bible that has been recalled (Photo: The Tennessean)

LifeWay Christian Resources is pulling the bibles because the Dallas-based Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, which benefits from the pink Bibles’ sales, has some links to Planned Parenthood. Thomas Rainer, president of LifeWay, said:

“Though we have assurances that Komen’s funds are used only for breast cancer screening and awareness, it is not in keeping with LifeWay’s core values to have even an indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood.”

The Komen Foundation said all the bible money was going towards breast cancer programs only. The Foundation expressed “disappointment” at LifeWay’s move. Apparently, LifeWay had pledged $25,000.

LifeWay says the Bibles will be rebound and re-used. Some blogs, such as Bound4Life and LifeNews, had accused the Komen Foundation of donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood.

The Komen Foundation has emphasized that the money which went to Planned Parenthood was exclusively for breast cancer screenings and achieved 139,000 breast exams as well as over 5,000 mammograms. 177 cases of breast cancer were identified.

Opinions on this move are divided. While some say Bible sales cannot be linked to abortions, others emphasize that the only result from this move will be fewer breast cancer screenings for lower income females, resulting in more cases of breast cancer developing undetected, and more suffering for women – it will have absolutely no impact on abortion rates.

Written by Christian Nordqvist