First Planned Parenthood Gets Komen Grant After Funding Renewal

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Apr 19, 2012   |   4:48PM   |   Austin, TX

It didn’t take long for a local Komen for the Cure affiliate to become the first to make a grant to a local Planned Parenthood abortion business following Komen’s decision to renew funding for the controversial agency.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Austin Affiliate has announced that it would award more than $1.4 million in grants this year to local organizations, including Planned Parenthood, according to one local news report. Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region will receive $45,000 even though Planned Parenthood does not perform mammograms and despite the fact that abortion increases a woman’s risk of contracting breast cancer.

“We must continue to do everything in our power to make sure our community has access to care and resources related to breast health and breast cancer, especially those that live in the margins with limited means,” Komen Austin Affiliate Executive Director Christy Casey-Moore said in a press release.

The American Family Association, a pro-life group, recently emailed its members blasting Komen’s decision to renew Planned Parenthood funding and said the decision is costing Komen affiliates in terms of attendance at events and financial support because of pro-life boycotts.

“Nationwide, women are choosing to no longer support Komen and its partnership with Planned Parenthood,” AFA said. “A March 25 Komen race in Southern Arizona was short 7,267 participants of their goal of 11,000. The event also failed to meet their fundraising goal of $700,000 by over $100,000. Another race in Indianapolis scheduled for next week is also expected to be at least 10,000 short of last year’s 37,500 participants.”

In Salt Lake City Utah, Komen is experiencing the same problems, with one report showing “the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation is seeing a sharp decline in donors and Race for the Cure participants.”

“The race will begin at Library Square in less than a month. Each year, Susan G. Komen race organizers look forward to the tens of thousands of runners and walkers. This year, though, they’re worried fewer participants could translate into fewer dollars to fund breast cancer education and treatment,” it said. “And now, with a 17-percent drop in participants, and donations down slightly….”

Komen had long been a subject of national controversy in which pro-life advocates initially boycotted Komen and then celebrated earlier this year as it appeared the breast cancer charity had made the decision to revoke funding for the abortion business. After massive public pressure, media attacks and lobbying from Planned Parenthood, Komen indicates the abortion business would be eligible for funding but did to say whether funding would be continued.

Leading pro-life groups had hoped Komen would keep their de-funding decision in place via a change in grant-making criteria making it so organizations like Planned Parenthood that do not do mammograms would no longer be eligible for so-called pass-through grants in which they merely provide referrals to legitimate medical centers and physicians who do.

CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!

 

However, according to a new Washington Post report, the Komen funding spigot for Planned Parenthood has been turned back on:

At least 17 Planned Parenthood affiliates will be funded this year, about the same number that received grants in 2011, according to a tally provided by Komen. The total amount of the grants, which are for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services, is still being worked out. Most recipients this year also received funds last year.

A half-dozen applications were turned down, mostly because the local Komen affiliates lacked funds, executives said. It is not unusual for there to be more applicants than available funds, although in some locations the controversy has hurt donations.

Additional grants may continue to be awarded because not all of the 122 Komen affiliates base awards on the fiscal year that began April 1. Planned Parenthood has said its Komen grants totaled about $680,000 in 2011 and went to at least 19 of its 79 affiliates.

Figures from August 2011 directly from the Komen for the Cure foundation show 18 affiliates of the breast cancer charity gave a total of more than $569,000 to the Planned Parenthood abortion business in 2010. That was down from the $731,303 Komen officials publicly confirmed in October 2010, when they acknowledged that 20 of the 122 Komen affiliates gave to Planned Parenthood during the 2009 fiscal year.