Planned Parenthood Donations Rise

Planned Parenthood has seen a spike in private donations since the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation cut off funding earlier this week. In the 24 hours since Komen announced its decision, Planned Parenthood has gotten $650,000 in donations, nearly enough to offset the losses from Komen’s funding. The group raised $250,000 from its newly launched Breast Health Emergency Fund, which it created to make sure affiliates would still be funded even after the Komen decision—and it raised an additional $400,000 from 6,000 online donors as of Wednesday night. Meanwhile, health-care advocates said Thursday that they believed Komen could lose up to half of its funding from donors who are angry about its decision. The breast-cancer foundation has come under fire after it announced Tuesday that it would no longer donate to Planned Parenthood due to “eligibility” and “grant strengthening,” but many have speculated that it has to do with abortion.

Komen Gets PoliticalBy Michelle Goldberg

Women’s health advocates are furious with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation’s move to stop funding Planned Parenthood. But by bowing to GOP pressure, the breast-cancer charity hurts itself most, says Michelle Goldberg.

MORE >>

Komen Founder: We Won’t ‘Bow Down’

The founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure released a video Wednesday defending the cancer foundation’s harshly criticized decision to stop raising money for Planned Parenthood. “We will never bow down to political pressure,” Nancy Brinker said in the YouTube video. Brinker said the decision was made to focus grants on “higher-impact programs,” but some have speculated the decision to stop granting funds to the women’s health center could cost half its fundraising dollars. The foundation’s website was hacked briefly around midnight Thursday, with hackers writing, “Help us run over poor women on our way to the bank.” While the foundation has said the decision to stop granting funds was based on “eligibility” and “grant strengthening,” many have speculated that it had to do with politics—especially because the organization’s new senior vice president is a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate who is anti-abortion. A top Komen official reportedly resigned immediately after the decision to cut funding was made.