Komen’s Brinker Apologizes For ‘How We Mishandled This Situation’
The Washington Post: Komen's Nancy Brinker Says She Made Mistakes In Planned Parenthood Case
In her first public statement since her organization reversed a decision to stop donating to Planned Parenthood, Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, said that “I made some mistakes” in the case, which swelled into a massive controversy. Brinker, in a letter to Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn, also noted that many commentators had blamed “culture wars” for the intensity of the criticism over the foundation’s cutoff of funding (2/9).
Politico: Nancy Brinker: 'I Made Some Mistakes'
Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, has admitted in her first public comments since the organization reversed its contentious decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood, that she "mishandled" the recent controversy and "made some mistakes." In a note sent Wednesday night to Sally Quinn of The Washington Post in response to an open letter from Quinn, Brinker wrote, "Sally, you know that we would never, ever, leave women unserved, especially the low-income, uninsured and underinsured women who are relying on us more than ever in an uncertain economy" (Lee, 2/9).
Meanwhile, Reuters examines the foundation's spending priorities -
Reuters: Insight: Komen Charity Under Microscope For Funding, Science
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity defines its mission as finding a cure for breast cancer. In recent years, however, it has cut by nearly half the proportion of fund-raising dollars it spends on grants to scientists working to understand the causes and develop effective new treatments for the disease. While the absolute dollar amount of those grants has steadily grown, it has not kept pace with the surge in donations Komen has received, a Reuters analysis of the group's financial statements shows (Begley and Roberts, 2/8).