Komen Foundation Cuts Ties With Planned Parenthood

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has told its affiliates to sever ties with Planned Parenthood, citing a congressman’s probe of the family-planning and reproductive-health organization, the Associated Press reports.

The move by the nation’s largest breast-cancer charity will cut off hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual grants from Komen chapters to Planned Parenthood clinics, primarily for breast exams.

Komen said the action reflects a new policy barring support for organizations under investigation by local, state, or federal authorities. At the urging of anti-abortion groups, Rep. Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican, is looking into whether Planned Parenthood has used public money for abortion services.

Planned Parenthood contends that the cancer charity famous for its pink-ribbon campaigns is bowing to pressure from conservative and religious groups that have directed their actions against Komen in recent years as part of broader efforts to block Planned Parenthood funding.