Montana News

Montana Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood present united front

Posted: Feb 15, 2012 5:19 PM by Drew Trafton
Updated: Feb 15, 2012 5:44 PM

BILLINGS- Representatives from Planned Parenthood of Montana and representatives from Montana's affiliate of the Susan G Komen Foundation met Wednesday in Billings for a press conference.

The two organizations do not have a direct relationship or partnership in Montana, as neither financially supports the other; however, representatives say the two organizations do share common goals in providing thousands of Montana women with low-cost or no cost healthcare services.

"Especially in these tough economic times, we cannot let a partnership relationship have a wedge grow between it, because we have a united cause which is prevention," said president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Montana Stacy James. "And that's both our mission and our goal to prevent things that are preventable-- both Planned Parenthood of Montana and Komen-- and we cannot let a wedge get between us that is based on politics."

The two organizations clashed at a national level a few weeks ago when the Komen Foundation announced that they would be pulling funding from Planned Parenthood.

However, the decision was reversed later in the same week, sparking a new debate over preventative health care in the United States.

Proof of that ongoing debate was visible during the press conference, as a group of regular protesters gathered outside of the Planned Parenthood where the conference took place.

The group, which claimed to be a part of the Montana Pro-Life Coalition, said although they would be protesting anyway, they hoped their picket signs and message they were passing along by shouting into passing cars reached the Komen Foundation.

"We're out here educating the public," said Coalition member Cal Zastrow. "We're out here communicating the message that Planned Parenthood is the number one murderer of pre-born children in America, and we wish that the Komen Foundation would stop providing money to baby murderers."

During the conference, James accused groups trying to pit the Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood together of playing ‘political football'-a term also used by President Obama earlier in the week when he announced a compromise plan to a controversial birth control plan.