The former Vice President of the Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity called out the Planned Parenthood abortion business last week for its bullying tactics that forced Komen’s leaders to re-institute funding.
Karen Handel, former senior vice president for public policy at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organizations, said “(Komen) was the subject of an unprecedented, premeditated, Mafia-style assault, all because Susan B. Komen for the Cure tried to do what was in the best interest of its mission in the fight against breast cancer.”
CNS News reported on the speech Handel gave Thursday at an event hosted by the Family Research Council:
Handel, who has written a book about the experience, describes herself as a “somewhat reluctant soldier in the pro-life fight,” a role she has taken on based on what she now sees as Planned Parenthood’s hardcore abortion agenda.
“Planned Bullyhood: The Truth about the Planned Parenthood Funding Battle with Susan G. Komen for the Cure,” details what happened leading up to and over the course of the 72-hour period from when Komen announced it would not be awarding grants to some previous recipients, including Planned Parenthood, to the announcement that it had reversed it decision.
Part of that saga was what Handel said were negotiations with Planned Parenthood for an “amicable break-up,” including both entities exchanging prepared statements they had prepared for the media.
Instead, “what was unleashed was certainly just a full-on assault,” Handel said.
She said the pressure from corporate donors, member of Congress, friends of Planned Parenthood – including the White House – ended with Komen reversing its decision to give grant funding to the organization.
She also said that during that 72-hour period, online donations to Komen increased by 350 percent.
Handel dedicates her book to “anyone who has ever been bullied for doing the right thing.”
Anna Higgins of the Family Research Council also wrote about Handel’s speech.
“Karen’s story is a fascinating account of how a renowned charity with the purpose of fighting breast cancer became the target of a vicious attack by Planned Parenthood,” she said.
She added: “The firestorm started when Komen decided to review its grants to other organizations for the purpose of determining which grants were effectively used to fight breast cancer. Since Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) provided no mammogram services, the approximately $700,000 annual grant from Komen to Planned Parenthood fell into the category of non-impactful grants and was slated to be eliminated. According to Karen, when Komen reached out to Planned Parenthood and explained its position, all signs pointed to an amicable break between the organizations. Instead, Komen was completely blindsided by the wrath that was unleashed against it by the media,Hollywood, and executives at PPFA. As Karen related, Planned Parenthood offered up Komen as a sacrificial lamb to protect its abortion agenda.”
“PPFA is primarily an abortion provider; in fact, they are the leading abortion provider in the U.S.and now require all affiliate centers to provide abortions. Abortion is an extremely lucrative business for PPFA. In 2010, PPFA performed 329,445 abortions, which amounted to $181 million in revenue. Out of PPFA’s total income, almost half (46%) comes from the pockets of American taxpayers. Government funding for PPFA in 2010 reached a staggering $487 million, according to PPFA’s annual report,” Higgins said.
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“The current administration continues to persist in issuing massive grants to PPFA despite evidence that PPFA affiliates have been involved in financial waste, abuse, and potential fraud, according to Alliance Defending Freedom’s comprehensive audit. Additionally, PPFA affiliates have been involved in lawsuits for failure to report statutory rape and sex abuse. Several undercover sting videos by Live Action have shown various affiliates’ willingness to aid and abet the sex trafficking of minors and accept donations for the purpose of aborting minorities,” Higgins continued.
She concluded: “Any organization that receives a significant portion of its annual budget from the American people should be held accountable for its use of that money. Such an organization should be expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Planned Parenthood falls miserably short of these expectations. The day for giving them a free-pass is long past.”
