Community Corner

Update: Komen for the Cure Reverses Planned Parenthood Grant Decision

What is your reaction to the news that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation is reversing a decision to end grants to Planned Parenthood for breast-screening and related services?

Reuters is reporting that Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced today plans to retreat from a decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

Komen is also apologizing for the move on Tuesday that thrust the world's largest breast cancer charity into a deeply politicized controversy, Reuters reports.

In a statement on its website, Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker said:

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"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.  The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen.  We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood.  They were not."

The statement goes on to say Komen will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood.

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On Tuesday, the Associated Press broke the news that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization will stop providing grants to Planned Parenthood. 

The grants to Planned Parenthood totaled about $700,000 and were used for breast-cancer screening and related services. According to the Associated Press:

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity's newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it's the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

In a statement on its website Tuesday, Planned Parenthood expressed "deep disappointment" about the action and said the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure: 

In the last few weeks, the Komen Foundation has begun notifying local Planned Parenthood programs that their breast cancer initiatives will not be eligible for new grants (beyond existing agreements or plans). The Komen Foundation’s leadership did not respond to Planned Parenthood requests to meet with the Komen Board of Directors about the decision.

 

Planned Parenthood has yet to release a statement regarding the reversed decision.

In the meantime, supporters of the Komen organziation immediately began expressing their dismay on the message boards of the organization's website and across social media networks.

A fund to continue providing the breast cancer  was immediately established at Planned Parenthood with a $250,000 gift from the Amy and Lee Fikes' foundation, according to the Planned Parenthood statement.

In Pittsburgh, the news changed little for the Planned Parenthood organization, which operates the Moon Township Health CenterKathy Purcell, executive director of the Komen's Pittsburgh branch, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that such grants were not given out here. 

How do you feel about this news? Does this change how you feel about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation? Tell us in the comments. 


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