kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and KilleenKomen Backs Off Decision On Funding Cuts

NEW YORK (MSNBC) — In what appears to be a reversal of Susan G. Komen For the Cure's funding cuts to Planned Parenthood, the founder and CEO of the nation's largest breast-cancer adovcacy agency said Friday that the group would amend the criteria that sparked a firestorm.

"We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligiblity to appy for future grants," Nancy G. Brinker, the agency's ambassador, said in a statement.

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives."

Brinker's statement reiterated that Komen's original decision was not "done for political reasons, or specifically to penalize Planned Parenthood."

The apparent reversal came after a fiery backlash among supporters and even some of the organization's top officials. Mollie Williams, Komen's director of community health programs, resigned in protest, according to a source.

Williams, in an email, said she could not comment on her departure for reasons of professional confidentiality, but she was clear about her views.

"I have dedicated my career to fighting for the rights of the marginalized and underserved," she wrote. "And I believe it would be a mistake for any organization to bow to political pressure and compromise its mission."

In Brinker's statement Friday, she continued:

"Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.

It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics - anyone's politics.

Starting this afternoon, we will have calls with our network and key supporters to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work. We ask for the public's understanding and patience as we gather our Komen affiliates from around the country to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the women and people we serve."

Komen's top lead had denied Planned Parenthood's assertion that the decision to cut breast screening funds was driven by pressure from anti-abortion groups. According to Planned Parenthood, its health centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants.

The Komen foundation, known for its pink ribbon symbol and Race for the Cure fundraisers, has collected more than $1.9 billion for breast cancer research and programs. It has affiliates in more than 100 U.S. cities and 50 countries.