Sound Off: Komen for the Cure Stops Grants to Planned Parenthood

On Tuesday, the Associated Press broke the news that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation will stop providing grants to Planned Parenthood. 

The grants to Planned Parenthood totaled about $700,000 and were used for breast-cancer screening and related services. According to the Associated Press:

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, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it's the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

In a statement on its website, Planned Parenthood expressed "deep disappointment" about the action and said the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure: 

In the last few weeks, the Komen Foundation has begun notifying local Planned Parenthood programs that their breast cancer initiatives will not be eligible for new grants (beyond existing agreements or plans). The Komen Foundation’s leadership did not respond to Planned Parenthood requests to meet with the Komen Board of Directors about the decision.

Stearns reacted positively to the news. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, he said Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider.

In the meantime, supporters of the Komen organization immediately began expressing their dismay on the message boards of the organization's website and across social media networks.

A fund to continue providing the breast cancer services was immediately established at Planned Parenthood with a $250,000 gift from the Amy and Lee Fikes' foundation, according to the Planned Parenthood statement.

In Pittsburgh, the news changes little for the Planned Parenthood organization, which operates the Moon Township Health Center. Kathy Purcell, executive director of the Komen's Pittsburgh branch told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that such grants were not given out here.

How do you feel about this news? Does this change how you feel about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization? Tell us in the comments.