WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation backed down from its decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and birth control services, a move that had thrust the world's largest breast cancer charity into a deeply politicized controversy.
Komen faced a massive outcry from its own supporters as well as Planned Parenthood's, who believed Komen had came under pressure from anti-abortion activists.
"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," Komen said in a statement on Friday signed by its board of directors and its founder Nancy Brinker.
Komen had said earlier this week it would cease to fund grants for breast cancer screening to Planned Parenthood under new eligibility rules. The guidelines precluded grants to groups under investigation by U.S. authorities, and Planned Parenthood is the subject of a probe by U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, a Republican from Florida.
Komen said it will amend its new funding criteria to "ensure that politics has no place in our grant process." The guidelines will make clear that a group under investigation will be disqualified only if the probe is "criminal and conclusive in nature and not political."
"We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities."
Planned Parenthood, which provides a variety of health services for women, said it was "enormously grateful" that Komen amended its funding rules and said it looked forward to continued close relationship with the group. Komen grants have helped fund 170,000 clinical breast exams and more than 6,400 mammogram referrals in the past five years.
KOMEN CALLS SPECIAL MEETING
At a special board meeting late on Thursday, the Komen organization agreed in principle to issue an apology and change the language of the organization's funding criteria, board member John Raffaelli told Reuters.
"Our policy was that in our original board meeting (on the funding) and it didn't come out very clearly," Raffaelli said. "It got screwed up."
The reversal circulated within minutes on social media sites like Twitter, where much of the furious debate over Komen's move had been waged in the past three days.
Nancy Healey, executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in central and southern New Jersey, said she had no doubt the public outcry led the group to reverse its decision.
"We sent official letters to the headquarters," she said. "Komen is a grassroots organization. The displeasure and the outrage was heard and the decision was reversed. I'm thrilled."
The Komen reversal also spurred disappointment among social conservatives, showing that the organization still faces fallout from the crisis.
Representative Kevin Brady, a member of the U.S. House Republican leadership team, said it was "really unfortunate" that Komen reversed its decision.
"To be giving grants to an organization that effectively ends so many lives -- (it) just seems to me they made the right decision before and they're making the wrong decision now," Brady told Reuters.
The Komen foundation, known for its pink ribbon symbol and Race for the Cure fundraisers, was founded by Brinker after the 1980 death of her sister, Susan Komen, of breast cancer. The organization has collected more than $1.9 billion for breast cancer research and programs and has affiliates in more than 100 U.S. cities and 50 countries.
Komen had said its decision to cut funding to Planned parenthood reflected a move to eliminate duplicate grants and tighten eligibility rules.
(Additonal reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington; Writing by Michele Gershberg; Editing by Jackie Frank and Bill Trott)
lake powell reno nevada lion king 3d lion king 3d the lion king 3d the lion king 3d missoni
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.