Disgrace For the Cure: Komen Prez Steps Down to Make More Money

[obamanut2012]

Erin Ryan

Nancy Brinker, founder, President, and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (which I'm now required to characterize as "embattled&quot announced yesterday that after years at the helm of the breast cancer charity, she'd be stepping down from her role to focus more on "revenue creation." Two other board members resigned on the same day, and it's not clear who will replace Brinker as she works to convince more people to give her money for the cure.

The charity's had a disastrous year — at the very end of January, Komen announced that it would be cutting off its grants to Planned Parenthood, angering women's groups, politicians, and fueling a long-whispered theory that the organization cared more about its own image than it did about actual women's health. And in the days after the announcement, it was discovered that, thanks to some highly-placed Komen officials with ideologically extreme agendas, the grant cutoff wasn't procedural, but political. The charity couldn't get its story straight — it first claimed that Planned Parenthood grants had been discontinued because the family planning organization was under Congressional investigation, but when several people pointed out that Planned Parenthood gave money to plenty of organizations and institutions that were under investigation, Nancy Brinker took it upon herself to defend Komen's actions in a series of media appearances that only made her look like Lady Who Lunched who didn't need to fully explain herself to the millions of American women who didn't want to see women's health further politicized.

Planned Parenthood's funds were eventually restored by the charity, but not before several curiously political Komen stances and questionable practices were brought to light — why had the charity supported embryonic stem cell research in 2006, and disavowed it in 2011? Why did Nancy Brinker, wealthy thanks to a profitable divorce, still earn almost half a million dollars a year and live a lavish, charity-funded lifestyle? How beholden to right-wing political pressure was the organization? And why the hell were they partnering with the dictator of Uzbekistan's socialite pop singer daughter, whose fashion line uses child slave labor? And why did the perfume the charity sold contain carcinogens? And why did the organization refuse to condemn cancer-causing chemicals used by companies that gave them lots of money? And why did they spend so much time suing other, smaller charities?

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http://jezebel.com/5933245/komen-president-steps-down-to-focus-on-making-more-money?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_twitter&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow


Great article -- recommend reading it.

[catbyte]

1. They finally yelled, "UNCLE!"

I heard they're really taking a financial hit. Good. Don't fuck with us, Komen. We get enough of it from the GOP.



Diane
Anishinaabe in MI & mom to Taz, Nigel, and new baby brother Sammy, members of Dogs Against Romney, Cat Division
"Dogs Aren’t Luggage--HISS!”

[obamanut2012]

2. Interesting timing to me, too

Since quite a few Komen 5Ks are coming up.

[catbyte]

3. I heard on NPR this morning that the "Race" participation was down 30%

this summer. That's a significant hit. Good.

[obamanut2012]

5. Wow -- that is more than I thought it would be

Agreed: good. The time and money can be better used elsewhere.

[Raster]

4. The Komen race here in seattle raised $500,000 less than last year.

The damage has been done. And Nancy has been exposed as the callous tool she truly is.

[obamanut2012]

6. I am curious to know where the 500k went to

I'm betting many of those who didn't donate gave their money elsewhere. Locally? Nationally?

I think Komen is closing the barn door way too late.

[Raster]

8. I think many, myself included, donated directly to Planned Parenthood.

And I agree, the Komen Foundation should have kicked Brinker and her partisan playmates to the curb a long time ago.

[frylock]

7. this dumbshit totally derailed her gravy train!

[LadyHawkAZ]

9. Meh

She's just changing titles. I'm willing to bet she'll still have her dirty hands on the controls on the quiet.

I'll wait to donate until she (and her salary and perks) have left the organization completely. Meanwhile I'll continue to donate direct to PP.

[Raster]

10. Of course she will. She is far too fond of the various perks....

....not to mention the attention and adulation, however these days it may be just a tad unwelcome. Brinker believes this is HER CHARITY, hers alone to milk for everything she can.

[Warren DeMontague]

11. There were some HARD lessons learned by the religious right, their enablers, their allies and the

so-called "all powerful values voter", this year.

They forget, for instance, that most Americans are pro-choice, and don't want to live in a Theocracy.

Then, they are reminded.



Happens over and over again. Americans simply aren't going to fall for religious right authoritarians trying to tell them how to run their lives.

The apparently deeply longed-for, "morally superior" past, is gone.

[obamanut2012]

13. +1

[TBF]

12. About time. nt