Karen Handel, the Komen executive who backed the move to stop giving money to Planned Parenthood, defiantly resigned today as the controversy over the issue continued.
The foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, originally said it would stop funding Planned Parenthood, and the decision was widely viewed as an anti-abortion move. The funds would gone for mammograms. Komen, the Dallas-based organization best known for its use of the iconic pink ribbon, later reversed its decision.
In the meantime, presidential contender Mitt Romney said he supported Komen’s original decision not to give money.
Handel, a former state secretary from Georgia, was hired as Komen’s vice president of public policy. During her time in Georgia politics, she was an outspoken pro-life conservative who often criticized Planned Parenthood. Her resignation letter showed how strongly she felt about the Komen/Planned Parenthood issue.
In the letter, Handel said she was "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." She also said that the decision had not bee determined by “anyone’s political beliefs or ideology.”
