Dear People For Supporter,

Susan G. Komen for the Cure CEO Nancy G. Brinker announced today that the organization will reverse its decision to defund Planned Parenthood and it will continue to fund its grants with the nation’s largest provider of health care to low-income women -- for now.

Thank you for taking action and helping to spread the word!

Komen justified its decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer screening program by citing a new policy that they will not fund organizations under investigation. Planned Parenthood is the undeserving subject of a politically motivated congressional inquiry. Yet, if Komen is so concerned about associations with groups under investigation, how does it explain its partnership with Bank of America and its funding of a $7.5 million grant for Penn State? Those two institutions are under investigation.

Then, Komen changed its story. Nancy Brinker said the decision was not based on Planned Parenthood being under investigation, but rather on the nature of the screening services they provide.

All along, it was clear that the decision was politically motivated, although Komen is still asserting that was not the case. Still, the reversal of the decision is welcome even if it took a massive public outcry to achieve it.

Unfortunately, the presence of extremely political staff and board members at Komen puts into question its future funding decisions. We hope the organization will strive to distance itself from Republicans’ continued politicization of, and unrelenting attacks on, women’s health.

For more context on the GOP’s war on women’s health, please check out PFAW president Michael Keegan’s piece today at the Huffington Post: “Angry at Komen? You Should Be Furious at Mitt Romney and the GOP”

Thank you again for the part you played in this victory and for your ongoing support.

-- Ben Betz, Online Strategy Manager