Recently, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, who aims to eradicate breast cancer, announced that they would no longer provide financial support to Planned Parenthood. Breast cancer touches many lives. It killed one of my favorite aunts and sickened two of my friends, who both successfully beat breast cancer.
Does the Susan G. Komen Foundation decision make sense? After all, Planned Parenthood and their affiliates performed over 747,604 "breast exams/breast care" procedures in 2010, according to their annual report. But let's allow independently-verifiable, independent facts guide our way.
According to United States Census Bureau data (Table 121. Deaths by Age and Selected Causes: 2007), there were 40,970 deaths from breast cancer in the United States in 2007. Although the data does not indicate it, a majority of these deaths were likely females, although males can also have breast cancer.
According to its own annual report, Planned Parenthood performed 329,445 abortions in 2010. In the annual report, "Abortion Services" is printed in a subdued gray as if to deemphasize these facts. The text in the image below is darkened to make the data more readable.
Worldwide, abortion kills more females than males. Just look to China's demographic imbalance and the "gendercide" that aborts females at higher rates than male. For simplicity's sake, let's assume that abortions in the United States kill males and females at equal rates.
If the Komen Foundation successfully and completely cures breast cancer, they could eliminate some 41,000 deaths annually. This number pales in comparison to the 165,000 females killed by abortion annually via Planned Parenthood alone. Where does the 165,000 number come from? Assuming half of all aborted babies are female, divide the 329,445 abortions performed by Planned Parenthood or its affiliates by 2.
Some might argue that the comparison is unfair. After all, according their recent annual report, Planned Parenthood screens patients for other types of cancers, an impressive-sounding 1,596,741 procedures in all. Perhaps Planned Parenthood saves more lives via cancer screening than they take via "Abortion Services".
Okay, let's make some overly-generous assumptions and see where it takes us. For the sake of argument, let's assume that Planned Parenthood screens ALL Americans for cancer. Despite the screening efforts, there were 562,875 cancer deaths (malignant neoplasms) in the United States in 2007. Not all cancers affect men and women equally. Men don't contract ovarian cancer; women don't contract prostate cancer. Breast cancer afflicts woman at far higher rates than men. For the sake of argument, let's assume that 60% of all cancer deaths are for females, or 337,725 cancer deaths annually.
Under the most-favorable assumptions, Planned Parenthood barely saves as many lives as they take via abortion. However, Planned Parenthood does not see every cancer patient. Nor do they perform every abortion in the United States.
According the United States Census Bureau (Table 102: Abortions by Selected Characteristics, “Total Abortions,” 2007), there were an estimated 1.21 MILLION abortions performed in the United States in 2007. The data shows "1,210" but the numbers are in 1,000s, so the real number is 1,210 times 1,000, or 1,210,000 or 1.21 MILLION. From the data, it appears that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates perform about 25%-27% of all abortions in the United States (329,445 abortions by Planned Parenthood out of 1.21 MILLION abortions total). The Planned Parenthood data is from 2010 while the total abortion data is from 2007, the latest year available.
The data shows that more Americans die from abortion every year than from all types of cancer PLUS heart disease, HIV/AID, and all homicides COMBINED. To put the 1.21 MILLION abortion deaths in perspective, this equates to the entire population of Dallas, Texas--America's 9th largest city. This is also roughly the number of people murdered by the Nazis at the Auschwitz death camp during all its years of operation. However, remember that this the number of abortions performed in the United States EVERY YEAR!
From the available data, I support the decision by the Susan G. Komen Foundation to withdraw funding support from Planned Parenthood. From its annual report, Planned Parenthood receives nearly half (46%) of its funding from the United States Government anyway. Contributors to the Komen Foundation can decide to give or not to give. The United States Government mandates funding via taxpayers. Planned Parenthood will argue that none of the funding goes toward abortion--in the same way that I never spend money on beer. My wife buys it for me at the grocery store.
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