More Fallout at Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Posted on Feb 7, 2012

http://ww5.komen.org/

It’s been a week since the Richter-rocking PR disaster about defunding Planned Parenthood struck the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity, and on Tuesday another big figure at the foundation shook loose.

That would be the Komen foundation’s VP for public affairs, Karen Handel, who initially pushed for the defunding and rather unapologetically took responsibility for doing so in her defiant parting statement.  —KA

karenhandelkomen.com:

I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it. I openly acknowledge my role in the matter and continue to believe our decision was the best one for Komen’s future and the women we serve. However, the decision to update our granting model was made before I joined Komen, and the controversy related to Planned Parenthood has long been a concern to the organization. Neither the decision nor the changes themselves were based on anyone’s political beliefs or ideology. Rather, both were based on Komen’s mission and how to better serve women, as well as a realization of the need to distance Komen from controversy. I believe that Komen, like any other nonprofit organization, has the right and the responsibility to set criteria and highest standards for how and to whom it grants.

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