The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates, creating a bitter rift linked to the abortion debate between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women.
The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.
Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists.
Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress, a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.
"We're kind of reeling," said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia, recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen. Hurd's wife, Betsi, is a veteran of several Komen fundraising races and is battling breast cancer.
Planned Parenthood said the Komen grants totaled roughly $680,000 last year and $580,000 the year before. They went to at least 19 of its affiliates for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services.
Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity's newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities.
According to Komen, Planned Parenthood is the focus of an inquiry begun by Florida Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns seeking to determine whether public money improperly was spent on abortions.
Reaction to the news was swift and passionate. On Twitter, it was one of the most discussed topics Tuesday evening, with some tweets praising Komen's decision and others angrily vowing never to give to it again.
Two Democrats in Congress, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Michael Honda of California, issued statements denouncing Komen's action.
"I am stunned and saddened," said Honda, whose longtime chief of staff, Jennifer VanderHeide, had breast cancer last year. "I call on Komen to reconsider this decision, stand strong in the face of political pressure and do the right thing for the health of millions of women everywhere."
Anti-abortion groups welcomed the news.
The Alliance Defense Fund praised Komen "for seeing the contradiction between its lifesaving work and its relationship with an abortionist that has ended millions of lives."
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