Komen Reverses Decision on Planned Parenthood

The furious backlash hit home: The Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation apologized today for its controversial move to pull funds from Planned Parenthood. "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," reads a statement from leader Nancy Brinker and the Komen board. “We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants.” The Dallas Morning News has the full statement here.

The group again tried to convince critics that the original decision was not about abortion politics, notes the New York Times. "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," the statement reads. Komen initially justified the move by citing a congressional inquiry (pushed by a conservative congressman) into Planned Parenthood's abortion practices. "We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political," the statement continues. "That is what is right and fair." (More Planned Parenthood stories.)