Mayor Michael Bloomberg is making a donation of $250,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America in an effort to defray the loss of funds withdrawn by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The foundation recently stopped a grant to Planned Parenthood that paid for breast cancer screenings and educational programs.
“Politics have no place in health care,” said the mayor in a statement Thursday, “Breast cancer screening saves lives and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way.”
The gift is a dollar-for-dollar match for each of the next $250,000 donated, according to an aide to mayor.
In a statement, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said this contribution will help ensure that politics doesn’t interfere with women having access to health care.
“People all across the country have stepped forward in the last 48 hours to offer help and support," Richards said, "and the mayor's donation will help ensure that no woman is denied breast cancer services because of right-wing political pressure campaigns."
Planned Parenthood said the Komen grants totaled roughly $650,000 last year and $580,000 the year before, going to 19 of its affiliates for breast-cancer screening and other breast-health services.
According to Planned Parenthood, its health centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants.
In response to what it calls the “mischaracterization” of its decision to withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen for Cure released a video statement from its founder and CEO, Nancy G. Brinker.
Brinker said the organization began a review of their grants and standards starting in 2010.
“We are working to eliminate duplicative grants, freeing up more dollars for higher impact programs,” said Brinker. “We also added more stringent eligibility and performance criteria to support these new strategies. Some may say our new standards are too exacting but over the past 30 years, people haven’t just given us their money, they’ve given us their trust.”
Brinker said that this strategic shift will affect “any number of long-standing partners.”
Komen has not yet responded to a request for comment about what other partners have lost funding.
Komen is based in Dallas and was founded in 1982. The organization has invested more than $1.9 billion since then in research, health services and advocacy while becoming the largest breast-cancer charity in the nation. It runs Race for the Cure fundraising events across the globe.
The next event in New York City is scheduled for September 9, 2012.
Brigid Bergin is the City Hall reporter for WNYC. She covers city politics, including the upcoming mayoral race. She’s also traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to report on the trial of the five men accused of plotting the September 11th terror attacks.
Comments [8]
Please help me. More info at http://www.givemepls.mydc.in.ua/
Nice to see a 1% er, , our Mayor Bloomberg being a role model, actually have a social conscience that helps poor women by stepping up and putting his $250,000 matching fund in lace to offset the planned defunding of Plan Parenthood. Hope it stays if in fact Susan B.Komom Cure Foundations reseinds that plan. But the IMPORTANT question in light of the Mayor's statement that health care should not be politicized is the question of how his silence on the closing of St Vincent's hospital and the space being conferted to luxery hospitals leaving over a million residents, workers and tourist on the lower West Side with out a hopsital and a trauma 1 ER. That silence screaned politics. Please explain how the critical health needs of people in crisis where every minute matters will be met
Planned Parenthood however contrversial, used to have more of a reputation as being for the emancapation of women as well as an organization who's very foundation was about the practical necessity for abortion and birth control. Understandably in these politically-correct times it has to present itself as an organizaton that deals with various aspects of women's health.
The Komen foundation has overemphasized women's vulnerability to breast cancer. Having a mammogram is being made a rite-of-passage regardless of any individual woman's need for it. Women died of breast cancer less frequently before the invention of mammography machines.
Planned Parenthood should not be an extention of the Komen cause.
Isn't the mayor's donation drawn from his personal fortune? While I agree with his point about politics and public health, I don't understand why the deputy mayor is using his time to explain the reasoning behind the mayor's private philanthropy.
This is a step in the right direction, and great publicity in the wake of the rash actions of the Komen org.
This like a penny to him. His policies have hurt women. Their children stop and frisk and arrested, schools dismantled, fingerprints for foodstamps, housing policies, etc etc
re Komen and planned parenthood.
Anti-abortionists do not deserve to be called "pro-life."
Planned Parenthood directs its time, money, and energy into providing actual health care.
Anti-abortionists put time money and energy into to make abortion illegal. That is a very limited agenda.
Planned parenthood, by contrast, provides a myriad of services that actively promote life, health and families.
The Komen action suggests we examine what organizations really do with their money.
Really dissappointing - This organization was way above the fray- everyone I know had positive things to say, participate and donate. It is unbeliveable that they could have miss-judged the public's feeling that this was was beyond "politics "
This so called penny ante investingation (witch hunt) to deny women health care is a bad joke.
I guess however, the folks on their board must all have premier health care plans-
Another case of not being able to relate to your constituents.
I am rememberer of a qoute: " Listen,Serve and Love the people"
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