Critics say the nonpolitical charity has turned itself into another political lightning rod. Komen: We won't 'bow down'

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is speaking out about its controversial decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood, with its founder claiming the decision has been “mischaracterized” and vowing to resist “political pressure.”

In a video posted on YouTube late Wednesday, Nancy Brinker, the charity’s founder and chief executive officer, never mentions Planned Parenthood by name. But she says the organization is trying to focus on “higher impact programs” and get rid of “duplicative” grants — and she says the “scurrilous accusations” about the change have been “profoundly hurtful to the organization.”


The decision has caused a firestorm of protests, with critics saying the broadly respected, nonpolitical charity has turned itself into just another political lightning rod.

In the video, Brinker said she initiated “a comprehensive review of our grants and standards” in 2010 to put “more stringent eligibility and performance criteria” in place and insisted there was nothing unusual about it.

“These changes mean that we will be able to do more to help women and advance the fight against breast cancer,” Brinker said. “We are working to eliminate duplicative grants, freeing up more dollars for higher impact programs, and wherever possible we want to grant to the provider that is actually providing the lifesaving mammogram.

“We have the highest responsibility to ensure that these donor dollars make the biggest impact possible,” Brinker said. “Regrettably, this strategic shift will affect any number of long-standing partners, but we have always done what is right for our organization, for our donors and volunteers.”

Brinker also insisted that the decision won’t affect any current grants — only future ones.

“We will never bow down to political pressure,” Brinker said. “The scurrilous accusations being hurled at this organization are profoundly hurtful to so many of us who put our heart, soul and lives into this organization. But more importantly, they are a dangerous distraction from the work that still remains to be done in ridding the world of breast cancer.”

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 9:07 a.m. on February 2, 2012.