Planned Parenthood contributions spike after Komen decision

After Susan G. Komen for the Cure initially decided last week to stop funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings, Planned Parenthood of Indiana received $9,000 in donations from individuals, said Jon Mills, PPIN director of marketing and communications.

“The outpouring of support for us was tremendous, at times overwhelming, to be honest,” Mills said.

But two days after Komen announced the decision, CEO Nancy Brinker said in a statement that the foundation rescinded their decision to stop donating to 17 of the 19 affiliates of Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis does not receive Komen donations, Mills said.
Komen, a nonprofit that fights against breast cancer, made its decision to stop funding Dec. 26, 2011, because of federal investigations of Planned Parenthood ordered by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.

The goal of Stearns’ committee was to find out if White House officials knew about Planned Parenthood’s financial state before the organization filed for bankruptcy.
Last year,  Komen donated to 19 clinics of Planned Parenthood, according to a New York Times article last week.

Elise Leblanc, communications coordinator for the Komen Foundation in Indianapolis, said they were bombarded with angry feedback. While donors have requested donation cancellations, she said the Indiana affiliate has also received new donations.

“No matter what the reasoning was behind the decision to make them temporarily or permanently ineligible to apply for funding in the future, there was likely to be a
backlash,” she said in an email.

Komen’s donations largely fund breast cancer screenings. PPIN performed 14,000 breast exams last year alone, which led to thousands of mammogram referrals, Mills said.

“In my circle, we don’t understand why Komen was giving money to Planned Parenthood to begin with,” said Carole Canfield, a member of Christian Citizens for Life in Bloomington. “They don’t do mammograms. So what were they giving the money for?” 

Canfield said several pro-life advocates she knows who previously donated to the Komen foundation chose to stop donating since its decision to continue funding Planned Parenthood.

Mills said PPIN has received several supportive messages, phone calls and Facebook and Twitter posts.

“I think the takeaway message for the reason the reversal came about was that the public wanted to see organizations committed to fighting against breast cancer and improving women’s health and providing affordable health care to Hoosiers,” Mills said.

Canfield said she believes Planned Parenthood uses its influence to gain donations.
“I just don’t see how you can call a place that encourages women to abort their children a great health place for women,” she said.

Rob Stone, the director of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Care Plan, said the Komen Foundation is much more political than their donors realized.

HCHP is a statewide group that fights for universal health care.

“If we had a rational health care system, we wouldn’t need so many donations,” Stone said. “We should have a better way to pay for poor women’s health care.”

Stone said he volunteers at Volunteers in Medicine in Bloomington, which also receives donations from the Komen foundation.

“Americans want to see health care access in the fight against breast cancer being fought collaboratively and not politicized,” Mills said.