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Reaction has been swift since the AP broke the news yesterday that the breast cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is withdrawing future funding of any Planned Parenthood affiliates.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America said pressure from anti-abortion groups sparked the Komen decision. The Komen Foundation counters that its guidelines do not permit funding if any organization is under a governmental investigation.
But those guidelines appear to be recent and have political underpinnings. As Jezebel reports:
Interestingly, this brand new rule that suddenly appeared in the books of the Komen Foundation just so happened to coincide with a Congressional investigation launched by a Republican legislator, who himself was pressured by the pro-life group Americans United for Life. And last year's assault on Planned Parenthood also coincided with the addition of a vocally anti-abortion ex-politician to the ranks of Susan G Komen For the Cure.
Karen Handel, who was endorsed by Sarah Palin during her unsuccessful bid for governor of Georgia in 2010, has been the Foundation's Senior Vice President for Public Policy since April 2011. During her gubernatorial candidacy, she ran on an anti-choice platform, vowing that if elected, she'd defund Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood now has a banner on its homepage announcing the end of Komen funding and asking viewers to "Help Us Continue Lifesaving Breast Cancer Screenings."
“We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a statement. "Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count."