Karen Handel Resigns from the Komen Foundation
This is a great example of how to leave an organization in the aftermath of a public relations blunder such as this one, in which (in my opinion) the Komen Foundation hung Karen Handel out to dry as some lone pro-life wacko: You make public the facts surrounding the decisions in question, you resign effective immediately, and you politely but tersely decline their offer of a severance package.
We can all agree that this is a challenging and deeply unsettling situation for all involved in the fight against breast cancer. However, Komen’s decision to change its granting strategy and exit the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood and its grants was fully vetted by every appropriate level within the organization. At the November Board meeting, the Board received a detailed review of the new model and related criteria. As you will recall, the Board specifically discussed various issues, including the need to protect our mission by ensuring we were not distracted or negatively affected by any other organization’s real or perceived challenges. No objections were made to moving forward.
I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it. I openly acknowledge my role in the matter and continue to believe our decision was the best one for Komen’s future and the women we serve. However, the decision to update our granting model was made before I joined Komen, and the controversy related to Planned Parenthood has long been a concern to the organization. Neither the decision nor the changes themselves were based on anyone’s political beliefs or ideology. Rather, both were based on Komen’s mission and how to better serve women, as well as a realization of the need to distance Komen from controversy. I believe that Komen, like any other nonprofit organization, has the right and the responsibility to set criteria and highest standards for how and to whom it grants.
What was a thoughtful and thoroughly reviewed decision – one that would have indeed enabled Komen to deliver even greater community impact – has unfortunately been turned into something about politics. This is entirely untrue. This development should sadden us all greatly.
Comments
Facebook comments are closed.
11 comments
I don’t understand why Komen didn’t just let existing grants pay out and not renew or approve new ones from Planned Parenthood if they wanted it all to go quietly.
I am also at a loss for why the initial version of the provision about organizations under investigation was not written as it is currently. Being “investigated” by some governmental authority in the US is proof of nothing on its face and Komen could just as easily find itself suffering under a rule like the original version.
[1] Posted by Fallen on 2-7-2012 at 12:52 PM · [top]
What a classy lady. God bless her.
[2] Posted by Jill Woodliff on 2-7-2012 at 01:06 PM · [top]
A Board that buckles to pressure and changes policy at the whim of a grantee is not a Board, it is a rubber-stamp to the politics of grantees. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Board of Planned Parenthood Susan G. Komen.
[3] Posted by dwstroudmd+ on 2-7-2012 at 02:32 PM · [top]
Karen Handel’s resignation is the Komen Foundation’s loss, I hope she will be offered another position in another organization that is worthy of her talents.
Now that we understand how the “Komen Foundation” passed money donated for one special interest group (Breast Cancer) to another special interest group (Abortion ), it might be interesting to see how this works with other special interest groups.
For instance, an Episcopal Priest, The Rev. Elizabeth Elizabeth Kaeton has just been appointed to a three year term on the board of the “Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice“(the RCRC)a Pro Abortion special interest group and her profile says that Rev. Kaeton is also a founding member of “Claiming the Blessing” described as “an intentional collaborative ministry of leading Episcopal justice organizations (including Integrity, Oasis, Beyond Inclusion and the Episcopal Women’s Caucus)” here:
http://claimingtheblessing.org/whoweare.html
I guess It would be difficult if not impossible to find out if any of money controlled by any of the other groups is being diverted to the RCRC but recent events do make one wonder. It seems to me that the only national group it is safe to send a donation to is that old fundamentalist organization called “The Salvation Army”.
[4] Posted by Betty See on 2-7-2012 at 02:34 PM · [top]
A fantastic letter and a great way to leave an organization. Clear, direct, and able to cycle through another news cycle too.
The Komen Foundation/Planned Parenthood thing has been a gift that keeps on giving, and the Handel resignation—in particular the way she did it—has been a great blessing.
Episcopalians take note. If you leave TEC—write a clear, direct letter explaining your reasons and copy [that is, physically mail or email copies] to your vestry, all clergy, and your Episcopal lay friends. It’s very important.
[5] Posted by Sarah on 2-7-2012 at 02:59 PM · [top]
I am grateful that Ms Handel made the SGK/PP relationship public. I certainly will not be making any future donations to SGK.
[6] Posted by sophy0075 on 2-7-2012 at 03:03 PM · [top]
I read in an article cited on another thread that the Salvation Army is in favor of abortion in cases of rape, incest, and fetal deformity. Today I searched for the statement of SA on abortion, which says in part that the SA “believes that termination [abortion] can occur only when carrying the pregnancy further seriously threatens the life of the mother; or reliable diagnostic procedures have identified a foetal abnormality considered incompatible with survival for more than a very brief post natal period.” I find that disturbing.
[7] Posted by Nellie on 2-7-2012 at 06:24 PM · [top]
Talk about being left to twist in the wind. What an honorable person she is. She is living out the courage of her convictions. How many who agree with her are left behind that have simply acquiesced? When I think about the heavy handedness and the unashamed advocacy for abortion, it makes me think these truly are the end times. So much of what is happening right now including the Obama mandate for providing for abortions for employees of religious organizations, is the evil one pushing back against the church of Christ and life itself.
[8] Posted by Fr. Dale on 2-8-2012 at 07:48 AM · [top]
My husband has pointed out that never in history have 50,000,000 people been murdered. He says the question is whether the evil one is winning or has own. I think that he hasn’t yet won, since in the end good will triumph over evil. But my husband and I believe things will get very bad indeed before then.
[9] Posted by Nellie on 2-8-2012 at 09:43 AM · [top]
Fallen,
PP would have never let the funding go quietly no matter how Komen had decided to handle it. Komen probably thought that a formal process would protect them better than just simply ending it without explanation. But they didn’t reckon on how violently PP would resist any attempts to blacken the eye of the pro-abortion lobby. Perception is everything to these people.
In other words, PP would have launched its campaign to destroy Komen even if the grant was for $7,000. Nothing else matters but abortion in that camp. Nothing.
[10] Posted by StayinAnglican on 2-8-2012 at 01:19 PM · [top]
Think of it - as a country, we have murdered almost 10 times as many babies as Hitler did Jews in WWII. Let that sink in for a moment.
It’s incredible how incredibly vocal and arrogant those who support and contribute to this horrible atrocity are. It frankly makes my stomach turn.
Roe vs. Wade is a millstone around our necks. We need to repent, remove the millstone and turn our face towards God. Only then will He heal our land.
[11] Posted by B. Hunter on 2-9-2012 at 04:01 PM · [top]
Registered members are welcome to leave comments. Log in here, or register here.
Comment Policy: We pride ourselves on having some of the most open, honest debate anywhere. However, we do have a few rules that we enforce strictly. They are: No over-the-top profanity, no racial or ethnic slurs, and no threats real or implied of physical violence. Please see this post for more. Although we rarely do so, we reserve the right to remove or edit comments, as well as suspend users' accounts, solely at the discretion of site administrators. Since we try to err on the side of open debate, you may sometimes see comments which you believe strain the boundaries of our rules. Comments are the opinions of visitors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Stand Firm site administrators or Gri5th Media, LLC.