Komen VP Resigns Under Fire After Planned Parenthood Flap
As the conflagration over the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood last week raged on, one data point kept coming up over and over- the recent appointment of Karen Handel to a position of power at the charity, and her previous statements denouncing Planned Parenthood before ever joining the reservation.
While the organization took hits from the public and lawmakers over the controversial and politically-motivated decision, Komen struggled to deal with the backlash. Planned Parenthood seemed to fare okay, getting a fresh wave of public support as well as a round of donations totaling in the millions as supporters rushed to counter the effects of the Komen fallout. Now the woman behind the spectacular public relations move has resigned from the organization, but not without some parting shots of her own.
In a statement, Komen founder Nancy Brinker made a bid to win back some public support for the organization- though it will be difficult to counter the move, which many believed did far more to put women at risk. Brinker announced:
“We owe no less to our partners, supporters and, above all, the millions of people who have been and continue to be impacted by this life-threatening disease. We have made mistakes in how we have handled recent decisions and take full accountability for what has resulted, but we cannot take our eye off the ball when it comes to our mission. To do this effectively, we must learn from what we’ve done right, what we’ve done wrong and achieve our goal for the millions of women who rely on us. The stakes are simply too high and providing hope for a cure must drive our efforts.
“Today I accepted the resignation of Karen Handel, who has served as Senior Vice President for Policy since April 2011. I have known Karen for many years, and we both share a common commitment to our organization’s lifelong mission, which must always remain our sole focus. I wish her the best in future endeavors.”
In her resignation letter, Handel says that the Planned Parenthood strike preceded her hiring, and that her motivations were fully supported within the organization:
“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.”
Do you see yourself supporting Komen in the future, or will you just donate to Planned Parenthood directly?
