(Newser)
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Former Susan G. Komen VP Karen Handel says the foundation had a "gentle ladies' agreement" with Planned Parenthood that neither would alert the press when Komen cut off funding, and that Planned Parenthood broke it. "What happened is nothing short of a disgrace," she tells the Daily Beast. "Planned Parenthood launched a vicious attack on a nonprofit organization that fights breast cancer." She alleges that Planned Parenthood launched a concerted social media campaign to fuel outrage over the cuts, calling the organization a "gigantic bully" that used "Komen as its own personal punching bag."
Handel says Komen had to cut Planned Parenthood loose because Komen was losing donors: "The issue was ratcheting up. It wasn't dying down." She also notes that Planned Parenthood received less than 1% of Komen's community grant money last year, saying, "They unleashed Armageddon on an organization for $680,000." But Planned Parenthood says the cut was actually first reported by "anti-choice outlets," and that Komen then announced the decision publicly, which sparked media interest. It denies orchestrating the social media outcry.
