WASHINGTON: A major US breast cancer foundation Friday reversed its decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood after outcry over the move sparked a political and fundraising backlash by women's health advocates.
The uproar drove in nearly three million dollars in donations for Planned Parenthood in a matter of days, and finally the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation backed down and apologized, pledging to continue funding for breast screening at Planned Parenthood clinics, which amounted to $680,000 last year.
The public split revived tensions over abortion and Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion provider in the United States, alleged that anti-choice groups had engaged in "political bullying" on Komen to cease funding, a charge the breast cancer group denied.
"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," said the statement by president Nancy Brinker and the Susan G. Komen board of directors.
"We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants," it said.
The Komen Foundation had said it would cease funding because Planned Parenthood was under investigation, and new rules agreed by the charity's leadership allowed it to stop issuing grants to groups in such cases.
The probe was by a conservative Republican lawmaker from Florida, Cliff Stearns, who launched an inquiry into Planned Parenthood over how it handled federal funds and whether such money was used for abortions, which would be illegal.
The move by Komen to stop funding, announced earlier this week, sparked a major cash-raising campaign among pro-choice advocates, who funneled nearly three million dollars to Planned Parenthood, said president Cecile Richards.
The saga became front page news and supporters of Planned Parenthood blasted the Komen group in newspaper editorials and on television, while petitions and protests against the move spread quickly through social media.
Planned Parenthood devoted its web homepage to an appeal for donations, and Richards said the staff was "overwhelmed by public support."
"One in five women in America have been to Planned Parenthood at some point in their lifetime and at one point I felt like we'd heard from every single one of them," she told reporters.
High-profile supporters included New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who offered $250,000, cyclist Lance Armstrong's anti-cancer foundation and rock star musicians, she said. Much of the support also came from about 10,000 individual donations.
Planned Parenthood would use the new influx of cash to maintain and expand its breast cancer screening services, Richards said, expressing thanks to the Komen Foundation for its change of heart.
"We are very relieved and grateful to resume this relationship that we've had for several years with the Komen Foundation," she said.
"This news story over the last few days was never about differences between our organizations, it was about how can we best serve the women we are committed to serving.
"We are focused on the future and our shared mission of saving women's lives."
Planned Parenthood said that Komen grants over the past five years had helped it provide nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams, particularly to low-income and minority women in need.
At hundreds of clinics across the United States, Planned Parenthood provides millions of women with health services including birth control, STD tests, breast exams and abortions, which make up three percent of its services and are paid for by patients.
Richards downplayed political differences between the two groups, though she admitted that she had not heard news of the reversal from the foundation itself but through online media.
"I take them at their word, that this is behind us," Richards said, adding she hoped that the controversy would send the message that "bullying... is a losing political strategy."