Letter to the Editor

Don't allow misinformation to cloud your judgment

Monday, March 31, 2008

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the letter submitted by Michelle Quearry regarding the American Cancer Society. I am a long time volunteer with the American Cancer Society and, while Ms. Quearry has made some interesting claims, it must be noted that they are not valid and she is exploiting a situation with generalizations of the truth.

First, Ms. Quearry is correct in citing a 2007 grant made by the American Cancer Society to Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa (PPGI). However, she has omitted some vital information, namely that the grant was for the continuation of a smoking cessation program started in 2005 with a $23,000 American Legacy Foundation Grant. The ACS grants were solely for smoking cessation training for PPGI staff members and classes for the public.

The American Cancer Society is an "all inclusive" organization, because, unfortunately cancer touches everyone. Part of the American Cancer Society's mission is to share information and save lives. This includes teaching people about smoking and helping to give them the tools to quit. Reaching out to a variety of diverse communities and organizations to raise public awareness about cancer prevention, early detection, and the use of tobacco is vital to the ACS goal of eliminating cancer as a major health disease.

Ms. Quearry also wrote of the connection between abortions and breast cancer, however scientific studies do not support this connection. A panel of more than 100 industry experts convened by the National Cancer Institute in 2003 reviewed existing human and animal studies and concluded induced abortion is not associated with an increase in breast cancer risk. For more information, visit http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Can_Having_an_Abortion_Cause_....

There are many groups asking for your donations. Don't allow misinformation to cloud your judgment. Please use the information available to you to make an informed decision on where your money goes. Please support Greene County's Relay for Life on May 16-17 at the Bloomfield Town Park.

If you have questions or would like further dialog, please call the ACS Staff Partner for Greene County, Brad Ward, at 1-888-635-9254 or brad.ward@cancer.org.

In addition, the ACS Web site, www.cancer.org is a wealth of information on all types of cancer treatments, and it includes information on smoking cessation.

Kim Hughes

Bloomfield