Greg Sargent at the Washington Post:
I just got off the phone with a Komen board member, and he confirmed that the announcement does not mean that Planned Parenthood is guaranteed future grants — a demand he said would be “unfair” to impose on Komen. He also said the job of the group’s controversial director, Nancy Brinker, is safe, as far as the board is concerned.
As some were quick to point out, the statement put out by Komen doesn’t really clarify whether Planned Parenthood will actually continue to get money from the group. The original rationale for barring Planned Parenthood was that it was under investigation (a witch-hunt probe undertaken by GOP Rep Cliff Stearns). Komen said today that the group would “amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political.”
Does that mean Planned Parenthood will get Komen grants in the future?
I asked Komen board member John Raffaelli to respond to those who are now saying that the announcement doesn’t necessarily constitute a reversal until Planned Parenthood actually sees more funding. He insisted it would be unfair to expect the group to commit to future grants.
“It would be highly unfair to ask us to commit to any organization that doesn’t go through a grant process that shows that the money we raise is used to carry out our mission,” Raffaelli told me. “We’re a humaniatrian organization. We have a mission. Tell me you can help carry out our mission and we will sit down at the table.”
Personally, I'm delighted this all happened. I have been for years telling people not to donate to Komen due to their support of Planned Parenthood, and no one believed me. Color me vindicated.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTheir statement said they will "continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants..."
I don't see where the ambiguity is. Continuing to fund the existing grants to Planned Parenthood with the donations from Pro-Lifers that poured in over the last few days.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDang. While I think that Komen's decision to cut ties with Planned Parenthood was fantastic, it's handling of explaining itself has been a muddled mess. It's reversals and mixed messages from its leadership today are just compounding the public relations disaster this has been for them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseKomen needs to make its position very clear. The Planned Parenthood harpees are proclaiming victory, and they've gotten a little boost - for now. But every year hundreds of thousands of Americans participate in the Race for the Cure, a very large percentage of whom would probably not if they felt Komen was still providing funds to PP. For that matter, the PP connection provides a convenient excuse to those who don't really want to contribute, but feel obliged to.
In the end Komen will lose, and Planned Parenthood will be viewed as a pariah by any other charity or business that needs to maintain a clean public image. Why start giving to PP if their wacko supporters won't ever allow you to stop? In the short term, Planned Parenthood has won. In the long term, it's circling the drain.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhich is why I didn't get all in a tizzy yesterday when the news came out. Unless Komen issued a statement that said they would no longer give money to PP because they disagreed with the PP mission, I wasn't going to change my mind. This was nothing more than a change in their application process.
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