Susan G. Komen Foundation’s initial decision to defund Planned Parenthood put Vice President Karen Handel under scrutiny. The foundation stated that their controversial decision was not politically motivated.
But it was, according to emails obtained.
Laura Basset of Huffpo reports:
But a Komen insider told HuffPost on Sunday that Karen Handel, Komen’s staunchly anti-abortion vice president for public policy, was the main force behind the decision to defund Planned Parenthood and the attempt to make that decision look nonpolitical.
“Karen Handel was the prime instigator of this effort, and she herself personally came up with investigation criteria,” the source, who requested anonymity for professional reasons, told HuffPost. “She said, ‘If we just say it’s about investigations, we can defund Planned Parenthood and no one can blame us for being political.’”
Handel drafted the policies in order to defund the organization. Her long history of opposition to Planned Parenthood is no secret.
“What Karen’s been doing for the past six months is ratcheting up the issue with leadership. Every time someone would even mention a protest, she would magnify it, pump it up, exaggerate it. She’s the one that kept driving this issue.”
Handel and Komen President Elizabeth Thompson didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The source said Handel submitted a final version of the new grant criteria to Komen leadership in November, and the board approved it in December, at which point Komen’s top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned “on the spot.”
“It was apparent to everyone in the organization that Karen was doing everything in her power to defund Planned Parenthood,” the source said, “and that’s why Mollie Williams quit.”
After the political damage and the rapid reversal of the Planned Parenthood funding decision, pressure has mounted inside Komen for Karen Handel to resign — as well as petitions circulating demanding her resignation.
The Komen source said, “Everybody in the organization wishes she would do the right thing” But, Handel has not indicated a willingness to step down.
With affiliates breaking away from the Komen foundation to side with Planned Parenthood’s breast screening program, Komen’s credibility is looking dismal.
Image: NJuice
