If you thought the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation saga was over -- think again. As if they had not caught enough poor publicity for their Planned Parenthood flip-flop, their vice president for public policy, Karen Handel, announced her resignation today. I can almost hear the cheers from the Planned Parenthood abortion mills as the self-described “pro-life Christian” leaves the Komen Foundation. It is a shame that the organization will be losing a well-respected leader and I hope that they wake-up to the reality of their Planned Parenthood ties. Handel realized Komen’s need to “better serve women” and would do so by allocating grant money to organizations that provide mammograms. Throughout the course of the scandal it has become very clear that Planned Parenthood clinics across the country to not provide mammograms to their clients.
Here is an excerpt from her resignation letter:
Komen's decision to change its granting strategy and exit the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood and its grants was fully vetted by every appropriate level within the organization. At the November Board meeting, the Board received a detailed review of the new model and related criteria. As you will recall, the Board specifically discussed various issues, including the need to protect our mission by ensuring we were not distracted or negatively affected by any other organization's real or perceived challenges. No objections were made to moving forward.
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. However, the decision to update our granting model was made before I joined Komen, and the controversy related to Planned Parenthood has long been a concern to the organization. Neither the decision nor the changes themselves were based on anyone's political beliefs or ideology. Rather, both were based on Komen's mission and how to better serve women, as well as a realization of the need to distance Komen from controversy. I believe that Komen, like any other nonprofit organization, has the right and the responsibility to set criteria and highest standards for how and to whom it grants.
In a bold move, Handel declined the severance package offered from the Komen Foundation and has a press conference scheduled in Atlanta this afternoon. Susan G. Komen CEO, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, accepted Handel's resignation and stated that, “We have made mistakes in how we have handled recent decisions and take full accountability for what has resulted."
NEW: Karen Handel speaks out on Fox.
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