Women are the losers among Komen vs. Planned Parenthood battle

I’ve been following the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood issue over the past week with incredible interest. I’ve read articles, blogs, Facebook posts and tweets about people’s opinions, ideas of what they would do differently, where they’re going to invest their money now and thoughts on how both organizations can move forward. From a PR perspective, this has been quite fascinating.

I admire and support the work of both organizations and it truly saddens me to watch this battle among these two powerhouses. I’m not sure who’s winning the battle between these two organizations right now (or if there will be a winner). One thing is for sure though, women and women’s health are losing. I feel there’s now an effort to divide women over basic healthcare and funding decisions. Who to give to and why?

One positive light to this fight is that women’s health care services and the organizations that fund them are receiving a lot of attention right now. Enter an organization like Women’s Fund… Through their research they find the critical issues in our community and fund them. Last year alone, Women’s Fund invested nearly $80,000 toward addressing health issues facing women and girls in central Indiana. For an organization like Women’s Fund, the issue of health services for low income women fits directly within their mission.

So what does this mean and why should you care? Because there are too many poor women, women at-risk, women who need health care and can’t afford it who live in our communities. Maybe this battle between Komen and Planned Parenthood has brought this issue to light. Maybe it’s a wake-up call for all of us to become more informed, more empowered and more supportive of women’s health issues. I truly hope we can move beyond these political issues and continue to focus on affordable women’s health care services and what we can do to make a difference.