Pink'd

The Susan G. Komen foundation has been itching to box out Planned Parenthood for some time.

According to Jezebel's Erin Gloria Ryan, however, the influence of another key player in the Komen organization goes a long way in explaining its decision to defund: Karen Handel, who ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 and lost, despite an endorsement by none other than Sarah Palin, has been Komen's senior vice president for public policy since April 2011. On her campaign blog (fire up the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine because, curiously, these pages don't exist anymore), Handel wrote: "I will be a pro-life governor who will work tirelessly to promote a culture of life in Georgia. ... I believe that each and every unborn child has inherent dignity, that every abortion is a tragedy, and that government has a role, along with the faith community, in encouraging women to choose life in even the most difficult of circumstances. ...since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood."

Handel even "promised to eliminate funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings provided by" Planned Parenthood, according to Jezebel.

What I find interesting is, what are they thinking?  In all likelihood, very few anti-choice advocates were even aware of the relationship between Komen and Planned Prnthd, and very few pro-choice advocates were aware of the deep connection between Komen's leadership and anti-choice.  Speaking for the latter, this long time supporter is now I am aware and can find other cancer research foundations that align more closely with my support for women's health.