It makes sense that most of us mistakenly believe that it's younger women who are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other group: They're not screened as aggressively as women in later stages of life and, therefore, aren't diagnosed until their cancer is in a later stage, which lowers their rate for survival. But actually that thinking has it backwards.

According to a new study, it's older women who are more likely to die from breast cancer. Specifically, it showed that women over 75 years old were 63 percent more likely to die of the cancer than women younger than 65. And the reasons for this disparity are more than a little alarming.

The founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Nancy Brinker, has come out with her first public statement since her organization reversed its decision to donate to Planned Parenthood and top official Karen Handel resigned, and it's pretty much an insult to anyone with half a brain.

In an letter to Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn, Brinker apologizes for "mishandling the situation" and then goes on to admit that she "made some mistakes." Unfortunately for her and us, she glosses over the specifics mistakes and leaves out the most important one of all.

Karen Handel, vice president of public policy for Susan G. Komen, has quit following last week's controversy involving Planned Parenthood. This news isn't surprising given the public firestorm surrounding Komen's decision (and subsequent reversal) to exclude PP from future grants for breast-cancer screenings because it was under government investigation. Still, it's no less elating, especially to women's health supporters who have suspected that Handel was behind the whole thing from the beginning.

In her resignation letter, the high-ranking Komen official maintains that she played a minimal role in the decision and only supported it because it was the "best one for Komen’s future and the women we serve." The only problem? We're not believing her for one second.

Such sad news from the blogosphere today. Susan Niebur, better known on the interwebs as the mom behind Twitter's @whymommy and the blog Toddler Planet, has lost her battle with inflammatory breast cancer. Leaving behind husband Curt (whydaddy) and her two little boys, Niebur's death is hitting one community particularly hard.

They are the mothers with cancer. They are the women who would follow Niebur's adventures as she tried to pass on to her 4- and 6-year-old sons her love of science (she was an astrophysicist) while simultaneously waging a battle against a vicious disease that made every day hard and parenting harder.

For what seems like always, that ubiquitous pink ribbon has meant one thing: Breast cancer awareness. And it's popped up on just about any product you can think of, from hair dryers to lipstick to clothing and U.S. postage stamps. You figure you can safely assume that by buying said product, part of the proceeds will go to help fund breast cancer research. Personally, when faced with a "pink" purchase, I'd think, "Oh yeah, I'm donating to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Cool." And I wouldn't bat an eyelash about making a donation in that direction. Until now.

Ever since Komen announced their split from Planned Parenthood -- initially due to a "disqualifying federal investigation," then because they supposedly were "looking to back groups that offer direct breast health services, like mammograms" -- that little pink ribbon will never be the same. Not even now that Komen has apologized, backtracked, and said they'll restore funding to the family planning clinics.

Linda Burger, 56, speaks out against Susan G. KomenAll week now, a war has raged on between the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood. Komen keeps changing their story for the split, people on both sides of the issue have railed out on the organizations' respective Facebook pages, and many local Komen affiliates have responded by opposing the decision and stating that they aim to continuing to fund their local Planned Parenthoods. Nonetheless, a different kind of backlash is taking place among disenchanted breast cancer patients ... like Linda Burger, a 56-year-old woman who resides in Las Vegas, NV and is currently battling the disease.

She says she felt compelled to make a response video called "What Breast Cancer is, and Is Not!" Burger tells The Stir exclusively, "I just felt the strong desire to make it, like something was telling me I had to. I don't usually get up on a soapbox, but in this case, it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Nothing short of a total firestorm has arisen from the news that the Susan G. Komen Foundation is cutting their funding to Planned Parenthood. Uber-conservatives have been acting like it's their very own New Year's Eve, turning the Susan G. Komen Facebook page into their celebratory HQ. And anyone who cares at all about women's well-being has had a perpetual scowl painted across their face for the past 48 hours. But I'm here to tell you that those of us here on the sane side of the road mustn't mourn any longer, because there's a sweet upshot to all of this! No, really.

Donors who were totally P.O.'ed by the Komen decision have donated $650+K to Planned Parenthood over the past day or so, which is nearly enough to replace last year's Komen funding, say PP execs. Amaaaaaazing! 

If you find yourself responding with complacency or even satisfaction to the news that Susan G. Komen for the Cure is halting its partnership with Planned Parenthood affiliates and cutting off hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for breast exams and other breast health services, then you REALLY AREN'T GETTING IT.

The reason the nation's leading breast-cancer charity gave for why it is ending this years-long partnership? A recently adopted rule that forbids it from funding any organization under government investigation (as we know, PP is currently being investigated by Congress to determine whether it uses public money to fund abortions). Of course, PP in turn is accusing Komen of bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists.

I know it's difficult, but try to put aside your abortion politics for just one minute and recognize this split for what it is -- a sad and devastating assault on ALL women and their health here in America.