Patty Murray, Barbara Boxer React To Susan G. Komen Reversal Of Planned Parenthood Defunding

After facing enormous backlash to its controversial plan to stop funding Planned Parenthood breast cancer screenings, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has reversed its decision and issued an apology.

On Friday morning, founding chairwoman Nancy Brinker issued a statement expressing her concern that the public believed Komen was acting politically by pulling its funding:

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.

The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. 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.

Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.

Here's a look at how some lawmakers are reacting to the reversal:

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

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"This is a huge win for women in communities across the country who will now be able to get the breast cancer screenings they count on through Planned Parenthood. And this is a major victory for the men and women across America who made their voices heard over the last few days to express their shock and dismay at Komen's initial decision. Politics should never come between women and their health care, and I am very glad that Komen did the right thing and reversed their misguided and deeply damaging decision. "Our fight for women's health does not end here. There are still many who will continue to put partisan politics ahead of women's health, and we need to make sure that the grassroots support and energy that successfully came together to right this wrong stands ready to be there for women the next time we're needed."

"This is a huge win for women in communities across the country who will now be able to get the breast cancer screenings they count on through Planned Parenthood. And this is a major victory for the men and women across America who made their voices heard over the last few days to express their shock and dismay at Komen's initial decision. Politics should never come between women and their health care, and I am very glad that Komen did the right thing and reversed their misguided and deeply damaging decision.

"Our fight for women's health does not end here. There are still many who will continue to put partisan politics ahead of women's health, and we need to make sure that the grassroots support and energy that successfully came together to right this wrong stands ready to be there for women the next time we're needed."

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Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

"This is a huge win for women in communities across the country who will now be able to get the breast cancer screenings they count on through Planned Parenthood. And this is a major victory for the men and women across America who made their voices heard over the last few days to express their shock and dismay at Komen's initial decision. Politics should never come between women and their health care, and I am very glad that Komen did the right thing and reversed their misguided and deeply damaging decision. "Our fight for women's health does not end here. There are still many who will continue to put partisan politics ahead of women's health, and we need to make sure that the grassroots support and energy that successfully came together to right this wrong stands ready to be there for women the next time we're needed."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/susan-g-komen-planned-parenthood-reactions_n_1252952.html

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