And before her, Molly Ivins.
Almost a year ago, with the encouragement of a number of friends, I joined my local Curves fitness center. I knew at the time that the founder was anti-choice, but I justified my membership by the many good things the local franchise does to help women in the community. I took out only the minimum membership.
Today, when I went in, there was a huge pink blanket hung on the wall, made by one of the "girls" and being raffled to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I got a really sick feeling in my stomach.
Now, reading this thread, I did a little more research on Curves and I found this:
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Curves-patrons-exercise-their-right-to-choose-1148290.php
"Neither Curves International Inc. nor my wife, nor I gave money to Operation Save America or any other radical pro-life group," (Curves Founder CEO Gary) Heavin said in a statement. "The newspaper flat out got it wrong."
The born-again Christian from Waco, Texas, did give many hundreds of thousands of dollars to clinics and centers that offer health care to women while working to dissuade them from terminating unwanted pregnancies. He writes generous checks to centers stressing abstinence-only programs for teens. And he withdrew his funding of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and its Race for the Cure because the foundation supports Planned Parenthood, which he strongly opposes.
"I'm not afraid to tell the truth," Heavin told Today's Christian magazine. "There's nothing healthy about abortion."
I am legally commited to Curves for another month, but that is the end. I will turn my monthly membership into a donation to PP.
You just don't support women part of the way. You support them all the way, or it's the same as not at all.
Tansy Gold
