"PRO-LIFE," PRO-DEATH

From AP:

Catholic diocese pulls support from Race for the Cure

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston and Bishop England High School have broken ties to Saturday's Race for the Cure because the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation gives money to Planned Parenthood in other cities....

Race organizers said some Bishop England students will participate but will not receive community service credit from the school. According to diocese spokesman Steve Gajdosik, Bishop England students previously had earned approximately 15 percent of their required 30 community service hours from participating in the race....

This is just an extension of what Pope Ratzo wants:

Roman Catholic bishops in several dioceses have been taking steps to reinforce church teaching by restricting who can participate in public events on diocesan property and refusing to attend graduation ceremonies at Catholic universities if a commencement speaker supports abortion rights....

Now, just a reminder of where the ill-gotten gains from the race actually go:

Proceeds from the race are required to go toward breast cancer screenings for low-income women.

"We only fund those things that will help us find a cure for breast cancer," said Colleen Adams, chairwoman of this year's local race....

According to Emily Callahan, spokeswoman for the national Komen foundation, affiliate offices around the country have their own boards that review grant applications and award funds. Allocations are "restricted to breast health services," Callahan said, and are "done on merit alone, and do they meet a need in the community that is not otherwise being met."

Callahan said that, in 2004, affiliates allocated just over $40 million in community grants, 1.2 percent of which went to Planned Parenthood offices throughout the country....

The Race for the Cure is the biggest fundraiser for the Komen foundation's local affiliate, said Taffy Tamblyn, the local group's executive director.

...Any group requesting money would have to show the money is only used for breast cancer programs.

"It's not just thrown out there at their discretion," Tamblyn said. "It's highly restrictive."...

WWJD?

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Another story from the anti-abortion front:

A national organization of pregnancy centers that helps women will team up with Interstate Batteries and NASCAR driver Bobby LaBonte to raise money to help women with pregnancy needs and to find abortion alternatives. Care Net and the battery maker have partnered in a "Charged for Life" fundraising campaign that will begin on Sunday at the race in Martinsville.

"Thousands of women will be helped as a result of the 'Charged for Life' campaign" says Care Net president Kurt Entsminger. "At Care Net pregnancy centers, we believe that people make positive life decisions when they are empowered with information and know that they are not alone."

The #18 car of LaBonte, will sport both the lime green Interstate Batteries logo and pint job as well as a logo for CareNet.

During the fall campaign, more than fifty percent of the proceeds raise from the sale of various kinds of batteries will help Care Net and more than 900 pregnancy centers across the United States and Canada....

If you don't support this kind of thing, you might want to think twice about shopping at Interstate Batteries.

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(And, as many other bloggers have pointed out, you might also want to ask Target whether its policy is to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill contraception prescriptions. Target's response so far appears to be denial that any such incident ever took place.)