posted 02/03/12 07:04 AM | updated 02/03/12 02:20 PM
Views: 1197 | Comments : 4 | News, etc.

Senator comes to our Capitol Hill to speak for Planned Parenthood -- UPDATE: Komen backs down

By jseattle
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(Image: CHS)

"If you stand up and fight for what you believe in you can make things happen," Senator Patty Murray told a crowd of supporters and the media Friday at the Planned Parenthood health center on E Madison.

In the wake of the Komen Foundation's decision to reverse course after announcing it would no longer provide funds to the women's health service provider, Murray came to Seattle to speak on the ongoing fight to fund women's health in the country.

"We stood up and we spoke out," Murray said of the rapid spread of protest following Komen's announcement. Murray said she was surprised by how quickly the word spread and people sent email and letters of protest to elected representatives.

Local Planned Parenthood officials say about $50,000 was donated across the state in the wake of the Komen controversy.

Original Report: Senator Patty Murray will be on E Madison Friday to help rally support for Planned Parenthood following a decision by the Susan G. Komen Foundation to end its support of the women's health service provider.

The senator will speak at the E Madison health center, one of four Planned Parenthood facilities in the city. 

A fifth is planned for First Hill as part of a decision by Swedish Medical Centers to no longer provide elective abortion services.

The Murray appearance is slated for 11:45a at the 2001 E Madison Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest headquarters.

Marchers at last February's Walk for Choice (Image: CHS)

8:26AM - UPDATE - The Dallas Morning News has posted a statement from the Komen Foundation announcing that it is reversing the decision to drop Planned Parenthood funding:
We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives.
The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.

Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.
12:15PM - Senator comes to our Capitol Hill to speak for Planned Parenthood - Senator Murray spoke in front of a group of Planned Parenthood supporters and a throng of media saying the fight for women's health is far from over.
12:17PM - Senator comes to our Capitol Hill to speak for Planned Parenthood - "We stood up and we spoke out"
12:21PM - Senator comes to our Capitol Hill to speak for Planned Parenthood - "If you stand up and fight for what you believe in you can make things happen," Murray said.

Local Planned Parenthood officials say about $50,000 was donated across the state in the wake of the Komen controversy.
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Read the fine print
Careful with the backflips celebrating Komen's supposed change of heart.

Read the fine print, and you'll see a bunch of weasel words. Yeah, they're going to continue funding their existing grants. And then they're merely going to allow Planned Parenthood to apply for future grants. Not a word in there about maintaining their relationship.

When the time comes, they'll gin up some other reason for cutting PP loose.

Meanwhile, file this under "Not a story from The Onion"... Komen is now pushing pink hand guns. http://bit.ly/zGIjox Yeah, for real.
Comment by oneway
3 months ago
RE: Read the fine print
It will be interesting to see how they handle this one. Hopefully all of the pressure they recieved will stick around. If Susan G Komen funding for Planned Parenthood ever drops, the backlash will reappear in full force.

Susan G. Komen completely lost my support when they launched into their suing small foundations over the words "for the cure". ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/komen-foundation-ch). They are bullies in the world of cancer research funding. As a result, I now purposefully avoid buying pink products. The pink hand gun brings it to a whole new level
Comment by Childhood cancer mom
3 months ago
Planned Parenthood
I'm sending my donations now , directly to Planned Parenthood!
The leadership at Komen's, headquartered in Texas, has shown me their true intentions. SHAME ON THEM FOR NOT THINKING THIS THROUGH!!!
Comment by steve
3 months ago
RE: Planned Parenthood
Susan G Komen hasn't been worthy of donations for years.

The truth is that they've taken millions from the people in this state and spent it harassing other legitimate organizations, squandering it on advertising 8 MONTHS in advance of their walk, attempting to trademark a color and the word "cure" and suing the shit out of anybody who tried to use any of it.

To have them turn around and cut funding to Planned Parenthood was the last straw. The fact is PP provides full service women's functions. 3% of their function is the abortion the right wing bitch head of Komen is against.

Fuck em and give to Planned Parenthood directly.
Comment by for real
3 months ago