Top Susan G. Komen Official Resigns after Planned Parenthood Flop - East Idaho News
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Top Susan G. Komen Official Resigns after Planned Parenthood Flop

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Getty N 020712 KomenKarenHandel?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1328634778275Bill Clark/Roll Call(WASHINGTON) — A top official at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation resigned Tuesday following the charity’s decision to reverse its policy barring funding for Planned Parenthood.

Karen Handel, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, denied that she had anything to do with the decision to end funding for Planned Parenthood, which she says was made under guidelines formulated before she was hired.

Still, critics of the foundation’s decision linked the move to Handel, a vocal opponent of abortion and Planned Parenthood.

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“I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it. I openly acknowledge my role in the matter and continue to believe our decision was the best one for Komen’s future and the women we serve,” Handel wrote in the letter that was obtained by several media outlets. “However, the decision to update our granting model was made before I joined Komen, and the controversy related to Planned Parenthood has long been a concern to the organization. Neither the decision nor the changes themselves were based on anyone’s political beliefs or ideology.”

“What was a thoughtful and thoroughly reviewed decision — one that would have indeed enabled Komen to deliver even greater community impact — has unfortunately been turned into something about politics. This is entirely untrue. This development should sadden us all greatly,” she added.

Handel declined a severance package.

The Susan G. Komen foundation confirmed Handel’s resignation and acknowledged “mistakes” in the way it handled the controversy that erupted last week.

“We have made mistakes in how we have handled recent decisions and take full accountability for what has resulted, but we cannot take our eye off the ball when it comes to our mission,” the organization’s chief executive and founder, Nancy Brinker, said in a statement. “Today I accepted the resignation of Karen Handel… I have known Karen for many years, and we both share a common commitment to our organization’s lifelong mission, which must always remain our sole focus. I wish her the best in future endeavors.”

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