Pro-Life Groups: Unclear if Komen Will Fund Planned Parenthood

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 3, 2012   |   4:07PM   |   Washington, DC

After delighting pro-life advocates with a new policy that appeared to make it so Planned Parenthood would find its funding massively cut or eliminated, pro-life advocates are now unclear whether the breast cancer charity will fund the abortion business.

Komen released a new statement today making it appear Planned Parenthood might be eligible for funding down the road but also making it appear that, if Planned Parenthood is found to be criminally liable in various state and federal investigations, that its funding stream would be cut off.

Matthew Clark, of the pro-life legal group ACLJ, hit upon the uncertainty.

“It is unclear under Komen’s new funding policy whether Planned Parenthood will qualify for future funding,” he said. “There are reports that this change in criteria means that Komen will honor funding to all 19 Planned Parenthood clinics and will allow them to apply for future funding.”

Yet Clark appears to side with those who believe Komen has caved.

“While Komen claims “politics has no place in our grant process,” it is exactly political pressure from pro-abortion proponents that led Komen to change their policy. This hypocrisy must be called out. Komen’s decision earlier this week to prevent funding from going to an abortion organization under investigation was the right decision, and it is very disappointing that this valuable cancer charity appears to be caving to the abortion industry,” he said. [related]

Americans United for Life issued a carefully worded statement that did not say one way or the other but focused its anger on Planned Parenthood.

“As a breast cancer survivor, I am troubled that the Komen Foundation has come under such heavy fire for their recent decision to tighten and focus their funding guidelines,” AUL president Charimaine Yoest said. “This week we have all been witness to highly partisan attacks from pro-abortion advocates and an ugly and disgraceful shakedown that highlights Planned Parenthood’s willingness to pursue a scorched-earth strategy to force compliance with their pro-abortion agenda.”

“The American public has learned this week that Planned Parenthood does not actually provide front-line breast health services:  Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms – a service that saved my life. Komen’s long-standing partnership with the nation’s largest abortion provider has allowed Planned Parenthood to whitewash the central fact that their core mission involves providing abortion,” she said. “The on-going Congressional investigation of Planned Parenthood – from the same Committee investigating Solyndra – raises substantive legal questions and areas of ethical and moral concern. As AUL detailed in our ‘Case for Investigating Planned Parenthood,’ attention to the abortion giant’s business practices is long overdue.”

Yoest concluded saying, “It is unfortunate that donors to the Susan G. Komen Foundation are now confused about their association with the nation’s largest abortion provider.”

Family Research Council Director for the Center for Human Dignity Jeanne Monahan also weighed in on the controversy and confusion.

“The Susan G Komen Foundation made two policy changes this week to ensure money would be better spent to save women’s lives. The first policy change ensured that grants are more directly focused on results. Planned Parenthood does not perform mammograms. The second new requirement is that Komen will not award money to organizations that are under federal investigation. Both of these policy decisions ensure money would be better spent to save women’s lives while also making Susan G. Komen abortion-neutral,” she said.

“It would be heartbreaking for women who suffer from breast cancer if Planned Parenthood has bullied Komen into loosening their higher standards. Women deserve the best. Komen should stay focused on saving lives, not supporting the nation’s largest abortion provider,” Monahan continued. “It is truly unbelievable that the nation’s largest abortion provider has been able to take what has been considered one of America’s most well respected and beloved organizations and demonize it overnight for simply making their grants results-oriented. Planned Parenthood is putting their abortion ideology above the health of women,” concluded Monahan.”