Susan G Komen for the Cure has gotten itself in hot water by first dropping its longstanding funding for Planned Parenthood and then not being able to get its story straight. What a PR plan. SGK had to know that the decision would create a firestorm, but the PR messages have been all over the map. First, SGK said it would no longer fund any organization under investigation. Planned Parenthood is under investigation by abortion foe Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida. Of the approximately 2,000 other organizations that SGK finds, are any others under investigation? If so, have any of them lost funding?
This new policy of not funding organizations under investigation came about after SGK hired abortion foe and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel as its Senior VP of Public Policy. When challenged on its decision, SGK said it was not based on any political motive. And then it said it had instituted new methods about which organizations to fund. So has SGK settled on a motive for its decision, or will it continue to float lead trial balloons?
As a result of all this tumult, Planned Parenthood has picked up many new donors, some saying they have shifted their allegiance from SGK to Planned Parenthood. SGK has also picked up new donations, mainly from abortion opponents who want to express their approval of SGK's decision.
My predictions: 1) Planned Parenthood will enjoy its new-found donors into the future as they continue to fund women's health services through Planned Parenthood (as opposed to giving to SGK). 2) SGK will get new donations in the near term, but these new donors will quickly drift away if they have not been traditional supporters of women's health services. Their approval of SGK will be a one-time gain for the organization. 3) For SGK to regain its credibility among women's health advocates and donors, it will have to admit its missteps and relieve itself of the services of Ms Handel. She has become the poorly grounded lightning rod causing the firestorm.
As a side note, the most prevalent estimate is that 3% of Planned Parenthood's budget goes to abortion services. The rest funds other women's health services, as well as family planning services other than abortion for women and men.
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