Former Susan G. Komen Vice President Karen Handel resigned this week over backlash from the charity’s decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood. But according to the Daily Beast, Handel still has some bad feelings toward the organization.
Handel told the Daily Beast that Planned Parenthood and Komen had come to a “ladies’ agreement” in December that Planned Parenthood would not discuss the fact that Komen had decided to cut its financial support. Handel says Planned Parenthood broke that agreement in order to characterize Komen as anti-abortion and garner anger toward the cancer-fighting charity.
“The idea that anyone would suggest Komen had a political agenda is absurd,” she said. “Komen is a breast-cancer organization—that’s what it does.”
By making the matter political, Planned Parenthood “unleashed Armageddon” and started the massive backlash against the charity.
“Planned Parenthood is a gigantic bully, using Komen as its own personal punching bag,” Handel told the Daily Beast.
Planned Parenthood itself denies launching a campaign against Komen, and instead told the website that “anti-choice” media outlets picked up the story first themselves. After that, the organization said, Komen announced the decision to hundreds of leaders of both groups.
Komen has since reversed its decision, and will continue funding cancer-prevention services for Planned Parenthood.
