Ex-Komen VP Karen Handel: "Planned Parenthood Is A Gigantic Bully"

Karen Handel (AP)

Karen Handel resigned as the Susan G. Komen Foundation's vice president for public policy on Tuesday in the wake of the charity's disastrous defunding of Planned Parenthood and since she isn't taking a severance package, she's free to talk to the media. Today, she told the Daily Beast, "The idea that anyone would suggest Komen had a political agenda is absurd."

Komen reeled from the criticism over the defunding decision: Its founder and president Nancy Brinker tried to convince the media that the move had nothing to do with politics (though the reasoning for stopping the grants for breast cancer-prevention programs was over a House investigation, led by a pro-life Republican, into Planned Parenthood's funding) and Komen eventually reversed its decision.

Handel continued to insist that politics—and her pro-life views—had nothing to do with the decision, telling the Daily Beast, "Komen is a breast-cancer organization—that’s what it does." She said that Planned Parenthood had "unleashed Armageddon" via social media, "Planned Parenthood is a gigantic bully, using Komen as its own personal punching bag." Handel claims that there was a "ladies' agreement" between Komen and Planned Parenthood not to go to the press about the defunding, and Komen would still consider Planned Parenthood for different grants:

“We wanted a smooth transition,” she continued. “What happened is nothing short of a disgrace. Cecile Richards put this issue in the press. There was a coordinated effort to get sites like moveon.org and change.org involved. There was an orchestrated, premeditated attempt to put this issue in the press. Talk about betrayal by Planned Parenthood—against an organization that took up for it for years.”
...In explaining the decision-making process at Komen, Handel said, “It’s no secret that for some years—long before my time—Komen was dealing with a controversy regarding Planned Parenthood grants. The issue would flare up, then die down, then flare up again. It was fairly cyclical. But over the summer, it intensified. More donors said they were pulling out. The issue was ratcheting up. It wasn’t dying down.

“Two dozen Catholic bishops were saying not to support Komen,” she continued. “We needed to find some options for moving to neutral ground. I was tasked with doing that.” She added, “An inordinate amount of staff time was spent trying to manage the controversy. We should be able to focus on our own mission and not be distracted by the controversy of another organization.”

Planned Parenthood said that anti-choice organization reported the news of the defunding first. Handel said, "Planned Parenthood launched a vicious attack on a nonprofit organization that fights breast cancer... Komen gave out $93 million in community grants last year. Planned Parenthood got $680,000—less than 1 percent of the total granting portfolio. They unleashed Armageddon on an organization for $680,000."

Handel, who expressed her distaste for Planned Parenthood during her failed 2010 Georgia gubernatorial campaign, had been described as not pro-life enough.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on February 10, 2012 1:06 PM

Comments [rss]

V_Triol

Well my land! if it isn't Dawn Davenport in 'Female Trouble' ... yes she is a walkin' crime...

DonPancho

Isn't she supposed to just go away?

robingee

Even though she is taking no severance and is free to talk to the press, she still twists things so that her political agenda is supported. Good move, 50's Housewife Hair. Stay red!

verywellthengirls

I think it's absolutely hilarious how contradictory her statements are, and that she doesn't even seem to realize it. "This definitely wasn't a political move... the bishops were angry!" Umm... pretty sure caving to the pressure of the church to be more socially conservative does, in fact, count as political.

DisplacedYankee

Handel was a failed candidate for governor here in GA, not that what we now have is any better. She is a college dropout and does not have any children. She was endorsed by Sarah Palin, if that tells you something about her. She is, in no way, qualified to make decisions about women and our bodies.

Camifornia

"Komen gave out $93 million in community grants last year. Planned Parenthood got $680,000—less than 1 percent of the total granting portfolio. They unleashed Armageddon on an organization for $680,000."

She's saying PP overreacted based on the percentage of Komen's grants. Is that really a point? PP doesn't care how insignificant the grant is to Komen. They're concerned with how *significant* it is in terms of their own income.

Also, it seems she's trying to back-pedal from the fact that she came up with a way to exclude PP. They initially said Komen would no longer fund organizations who are under federal investigation. And the number of organizations this excluded? One. Sounds like a political maneuver to me.

JenChungsBaby

bwah

petercow

The GOP really is like Biff in Back to the Future. When Marty trips Biff, it's not his injury that makes him furious, it's the fact that he's used to pushing into their lockers, the the Marty McFlys of the world (aka, the Dems).

randomtransplant

Seems like the term "bully" should be saved for the groups that demanded a supposedly apolitical non-profit defund a service provider over services Komen wasn't paying PP to do in the first place.

PP would have been dead in the water if not for contributors voting - with their wallets. So if providing an essential, popular service to the community is bullying - where do I sign up? These bullies seem like pretty good, well loved people.

HappilyBookish

Is any of the pink plastic crap Komen promotes made with toxic chemicals? You know, potential carcinogens . . . that could lead to cancer . . .of the breast?

Komen spends big $$ on awareness, but what have they done about finding environmental causes of cancers?

galaxytime

ah, to be delusional.

fizzandpop

1. Fuck up
2. Deny you fucked-up
3. Make excuses for why you fucked-up
4. Blame everyone else

BP, Komen, Newt

Herrence Meritocracy

fizzandpop, you forgot two steps in there...

1. Fuck up
2. Deny you fucked-up
3. Make excuses for why you fucked-up
4. Blame everyone else
5. ???
6. Profit!

FU Boy

Uh, that's most of America now, not just Republicans.

brooklynRick

She doesn't care about birth control because nobody is trying to fuck her for sport or any other reason

Brendan A. MacWade

While it was only $700K, the lesson here is if you LIE about why you are withdrawing donations to PPFA, you should expect a beating.

Oh, and if your "nonprofit" organization only spends 10 cents per dollar on supporting cancer research, you should be shut down.

The real lesson here is that the Komen foundation is a for profit organization that helps corporations develop and market pink consumer items. It doesn't save any lives. PPFA does.

cyncity.org

“Two dozen Catholic bishops were saying not to support Komen,” she
continued. “We needed to find some options for moving to neutral ground.
I was tasked with doing that.”

Does she not see the irony in what she is saying? Basing your actions on 24 bishops based on their moral viewpoint is the complete opposite of neutral. PP has proven time and time again that they do not use Federal money for abortions. The fact is Conservative Christians will fight against anyone who provides money for what they see as just an abortion clinic. PP provides care for women's health and yes that includes abortions. These are the type of people who will cut off their nose to spite their face. PP shouldn't have to make "an abortion division" so that people will stop bothering them. PP is run 100% better than most of the shady organizations. You can see with your own eyes what PP does for the community.

Guest

don't women pay for their own abortions, anyway? i was pretty sure you have to cough up the cash if you want one...making all of their nonsense fairly irrelevant.

bluecanary1

If Planned Parenthood's abortion services are anything like all their other health services, there is a sliding scale depending on your income.

Elizabeth Stockwell

Lady PP has roasted far scarier fish than you. You and Brinker were a mid afternoon snack. Planned Parenthood doesn't fuck around with its mission, and goddess bless them for it.