Web fury spurs Komen reversal
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Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure: "We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons ..."
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The nation's pre-eminent breast cancer advocacy group, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, apologized Friday for its decision to cut most of its financing to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening and said it would again make Planned Parenthood eligible for those grants.
"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," Nancy G. Brinker, Komen's chief executive, said in a statement posted on the organization's website. The statement added, "We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants."
The reversal comes in the face of an enormous furor over the decision and widespread complaints that the Komen foundation was tying breast cancer to the abortion issue. Comments on social networks such as Twitter raged about the move, and donations, including a $250,000 matching grant from New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, poured into Planned Parenthood, allowing it to compensate for the $700,000 in Komen money that would have been cut.
Some Komen officials had said the decision to halt financing, which was made in December and became public knowledge Tuesday, was made because of an inquiry by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who is looking into whether Planned Parenthood has spent public money for abortions.
The foundation created a new rule to bar grants to organizations under federal, state or local investigation, but a Komen board member said the only current grantee to which the rule would apply was Planned Parenthood.
Critics also objected to the fact that the foundation seemed to be giving an inquiry by a Republican congressman, which appeared to be prompted in part by opponents of abortion rights, as much credibility as a criminal or civil investigation by a government agency.
First Published February 4, 2012 12:00 am
