Komen Foundation seeks to restore public support after ending cuts to Planned Parenthood

The prominent breast cancer charity announced Friday in a blog post that it had reversed this decision, which had stirred an outcry.

The Washington Post: Susan G. Komen Foundation Revises Policy That Barred Planned Parenthood Funding
Caught in a maelstrom of public reaction to its decision to cease funding Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation announced Friday that it would reverse course. Komen will no longer bar organizations that are under government investigation from applying for grants. As a result, Planned Parenthood -; which is the focus of a House probe over whether it has used federal funds to pay for abortions -; will once more be eligible for Komen grants (Kliff and Aizenman, 2/3).

The New York Times: Cancer Group Backs Down On Cutting Off Planned Parenthood
When the nation's pre-eminent breast cancer advocacy group, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, decided to stop most of its financing of Planned Parenthood in December, Komen's leaders hoped to quietly distance the foundation from a politically controversial organization that they feared was costing them support and donations, a board member said. But when the move became public on Tuesday, Nancy G. Brinker, the polished Republican donor who founded Komen after her sister died of breast cancer, and other leaders of the organization were completely caught off guard by the deluge of outrage online, within the foundation's own ranks and in Congress (Belluck, Preston and Harris, 2/3).

The Associated Press: Komen Drops Plans To Cut Planned Parenthood Grants
For leaders of the nation's pre-eminent breast-cancer charity, it was a firestorm they didn't see coming -; and couldn't withstand. Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Friday abandoned plans to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood. The dramatic retreat followed a three-day furor that resounded across the Internet, in Congress and -; perhaps most tellingly -; among Komen affiliates who openly rebelled, suggesting the leadership had bowed to anti-abortion pressure (Crary, 2/3).

The Wall Street Journal: Charity Does An About-Face
Komen affiliates in Connecticut and California had publicly aired their concerns about the initial decision. The Aspen, Colo., Komen affiliate asked for an exemption from the policy and was denied, and then advertised in local papers that it would defy the rule. "After a 17-year relationship with Planned Parenthood, we intended to continue that relationship," said Marcia Goshorn, president of the Aspen affiliate. "We felt it was important that our voice is heard" (Radnofsky, Mathews and West, 2/4).

Reuters: Komen Reverses Move To Cut Planned Parenthood Funding
Komen said it will now 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." ... Komen grants to Planned Parenthood amount to about $700,000 annually and have helped fund 170,000 clinical breast exams and more than 6,400 mammogram referrals in the past five years, mostly to poor women (Morgan and Yukhananov, 2/3).

Los Angeles Times: Susan G. Komen For The Cure Has Long Been Under Pressure
Each year, the foundation's local affiliates sponsor more than 100 fundraising runs and walks around the country. In the weeks leading up to those events, some affiliates receive calls from antiabortion groups threatening to boycott the events and to stop frequenting the businesses that sponsor them, said John Hammarley, a former senior communications advisor at Komen who was laid off last year during a reorganization. (He says he harbors no ill will toward Komen.) Part of Hammarley's job was helping local affiliates deal with the flare-ups. "The issue of Komen's involvement with Planned Parenthood was the single ongoing issue that caused some controversy," he said. "It was an irritation: How many calls have we gotten this month? How many people are upset?" (Kaplan, Roan and Brown, 2/3). 

Politico:  Susan G. Komen Backs Down On Planned Parenthood 
The charity -; once considered staunchly nonpartisan and almost universally supported -; this week found itself in the middle of one of the most controversial issues in American politics. It faced a potentially catastrophic loss of corporate partners, as businesses faced painful decisions about whether they could continue to work with a charity that had given itself an ideological image overnight (Haberkorn, 2/3).

NPR Shots Blog: In Reversal, Komen Reinstates Funding For Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood released a statement from Cecile Richards, president of the group, saying, "We are now heartened that we can continue to work in partnership" with Komen. "We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers" (Hensley, 2/3).

CNN: Komen Foundation Reverses Funding Decision Of Planned Parenthood
Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers added that the group's "original stance to stop funding pending an important congressional investigation was an act of courage and prudence, making their sudden reversal today appear hollow and weak." Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said he was "deeply disappointed " in the decision (2/4).

For additional coverage of the Komen-Planned Parenthood flap, read yesterday's Daily Report for details about the national issues as well as the local reaction.