Diocese Of Little Rock Urges Members To Stop Donations To Komen For The Cure Because Of Its Support Of Planned Parenthood

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Breast Cancer
Article Date: 29 Feb 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas has urged members to not donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure because it provides funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings and education to women visiting Planned Parenthood clinics, the AP/Google.com reports. Rebecca Gibson, a spokesperson for Komen, said that the group spent $69.6 million on 1,600 community-based education and screening programs in 2007 and that Planned Parenthood received less than 1% of the funds.

The diocese sent a statement to parishes and Catholic schools saying that donors such as Komen "cannot control how an organization designates its funds" and that "money donated for a specific service ... directly frees up funds to support other areas of an organization's agenda." Marianne Linane, director of the diocese's "respect life" office, said that Komen donations allow Planned Parenthood to allocate funding to abortion and contraceptive services that the Catholic Church opposes.

The statement included addresses of Arkansas hospitals to which parishioners could donate that eliminate "the administrative funds for a middle broker." Monsignor Gaston Herbert, who sent the statement, has plans to send a follow-up letter, Linane said. Herbert was not available for comment.

According to the AP/Google.com, the Archdiocese of St. Louis distributed the same statement last year. Other dioceses, including the Catholic Diocese of Charleston and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, have brought up concerns over Komen's donations to Planned Parenthood. Gibson said that Komen's donations to Planned Parenthood are "insignificant in relation to all of the funding we do." She added that it is "unfortunate" that "undue attention is being shed on organizations that are providing vital services" (Gambrell, AP/Google.com, 2/26).

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