Planned Parenthood Response

Susan G. Komen for the Cure provides funding for local community health programs through our network of more than 120 affiliates across the United States.  Each affiliate is responsible for assessing the breast health service needs—including education, screening, treatment and support—for the residents within its region as well as identifying and providing funding to organizations that can meet those needs. Annually, Komen Affiliates fund programs that provide breast health education and breast screenings for hundreds of thousands of low-income, uninsured, or medically under-served women via nearly 2,000 local organizations, including 19 Planned Parenthood programs.

The decision to fund any breast health and screening program is based on a thorough assessment of a community’s breast health needs and resources. In some areas of the U.S., our affiliates have determined a Planned Parenthood clinic to be the best or only local place where women can receive breast health care.

In all cases, Komen funding is used exclusively to provide breast cancer programs, including clinical breast exams conducted by trained medical personnel. When symptoms indicate a need for further screening, patients are provided with a referral to obtain a mammogram. Depending on local resources, that mammogram may be paid for using a Komen grant. It’s important to note that Komen will only make grants to non-profit organizations. As many mammography providers are for-profit entities, we are only to fund mammography services through grants made to local non-profit service providers.   

Twice each year, Komen affiliates conduct a thorough review of their community health grant programs to ensure that funds are being used only for breast health services. Under no circumstances are Komen funds used to fund abortions or other non-breast services, and any service provider shown to violate those rules would be immediately terminated from the Komen grant program.  

During the past five years, Komen Affiliate grants to Planned Parenthood have funded almost 170,000  clinical breast exams and more than 6,400 mammograms. Our mission is to help save lives by increasing screening rates among all populations of women across the U.S. and around the world.  As long as there is a need for health care for vulnerable populations, Komen will fund the facilities that can best meet those needs.

For additional information on this issue and Komen’s overall work in local communities, we invite you to visit our website at www.komen.org. Thanks again for your interest in Susan G. Komen and our efforts to end breast cancer forever.

NOTE:  Since 1995, the Montana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded $1.2 million to non-profit organizations in Montana for mammograms, diagnostic tests, education, treatment and follow-up.  Planned Parenthood has not applied for or been awarded funds for breast cancer screening.  To learn more about the Montana grants, visit our website www.komenmontana.org.