Top Susan G. Komen Official Resigned Over Planned Parenthood Cave-In

[WI_DEM]

The decision, made in December, caused an uproar inside Komen. Three sources told me that the organization's top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned in protest immediately following the Komen board's decision to cut off Planned Parenthood. Williams, who served as the managing director of community health programs, was responsible for directing the distribution of $93 million in annual grants. Williams declined to comment when I reached her yesterday on whether she had resigned her position in protest, and she declined to speak about any other aspects of the controversy.

Bu John Hammarley, who until recently served as Komen's senior communications adviser and who was charged with managing the public relations aspects of Komen's Planned Parenthood grant, said that Williams believed she could not honorably serve in her position once Komen had caved to pressure from the anti-abortion right. "Mollie is one of the most highly-respected and ethical people inside the organization, and she felt she couldn't continue under these conditions," Hammarley said. "The Komen board of directors are very politically savvy folks, and I think over time they thought if they gave in to the very aggressive propaganda machine of the anti-abortion groups, that the issue would go away. It seemed very short-sighted to me."

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/02/top-susan-g-komen-official-resigned-over-planned-parenthood-cave-in/252405/

[MoonRiver]

1. And the blow back begins.

Unless Komen changes its position, it deserves to shrivel up and disappear.

[hlthe2b]

7. Yes... and I'd love to see funding divert to PP, so that it could (over time) take over the role...

once held by Komen. Unless they reverse their course, I will never take part in any effort with them again, fund them or, if possible, work with any organization that collaborates with them.

[MoonRiver]

8. With you 1000%.

I participate in a bc message board and most of the people there are furious at Komen's PP decision. Many were mad before, because of how little of the money Komen collects actually goes to bc research. I was neutral, being pretty much a bc newbie and ignorant about these issues, until Komen turned on PP. Now Komen is on my permanent shit list.

[Carolina]

10. totally agree

in essence Komen is saying screw poor women so I say screw Komen.

My late Dad was an OB-GYN who volunteered time (every Thursday) with Planned Parenthood so my heart and my dollars are with PP!

[Major Hogwash]

2. Sounds to me like the Komen charity is run like a corporation.

Don't know how they get so much money to be able to distribute $93 million in annual grants, but that's a lot of cabbage.

Doesn't make much sense to take away the 700 K they were giving to Planned Parenthood.

[rfranklin]

3. It smells to high heaven of a coordinated effort to sever ties with Planned Parenthood...

This sure sounds like the rightwing modus operandi..

Any legislator or prosecutor opposed to any aspect of a breast-cancer-care organization's work could affect its Komen funding merely by announcing the opening of an investigation. (Please read this Atlantic piece by Linda Hirshman for more on the dangerous politics of this decision.) The whole episode is troubling, and quite sad, because it will inevitably affect Komen's ability to do its work, which is of paramount importance to the cause of women's health.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/02/top-susan-g-komen-official-resigned-over-planned-parenthood-cave-in/252405/

[joeybee12]

4. Hopefully this will be a PR nightmare...and gets that joke of

a SR VP out of the organization.

[xchrom]

5. du rec. nt

[mainer]

6. Susan Komen gives to Penn State -- which is under investigation

So why doesn't Komen cut its funding to Penn State?

"Under investigation" is a pretty broad brush. Seems to me it would cover the Penn State scandal.

http://live.psu.edu/tag/Susan_G_Komen

[realFedUp]

9. John D. Raffaelli

It would have been so much easier for the Komen foundation to
ask board member Mr. Raffaelli to step down. Even tho he is a Democrat (?) from
Texarkana (and WTF cares?), this is going to take a giant bite out
of what that foundation does...kind of like what happened to Nestle
and breastfeeding.
I like that PP is garnering funds but too bad it has to be blowback
on Komen's usual good works.

BTW, support your local PP with your money. Send directly.
PPs actually prevent abortions by providing birth control.
Family planning, testing for diseases and healthy pregnancy
planning are 90% of what PPs do.

[nykym]

11. Soiled

[mrs_p]

13. Beautiful illustration

of how I feel. One positive thing about this controversy is that I now see SGK for the RW organization it is.

[Schema Thing]

12. Well here's to Mollie Williams then!

[DCKit]

14. Sounds like the board at Komen is too stupid and too weak to be on the board...

of such an important charity.

Hell, I wouldn't want them anywhere near my local P.T.A..

[obamanut2012]

15. The board is for this

[DCKit]

16. This issue isn't going to go away quietly, no matter how much they may wish for that.

I'm thinking there's going to be a new board fairly soon.

If not, I wouldn't expect the charity to survive.