Pssssst. Komen. You know the purported reason you cut funding to Planned Parenthood – because they are under federal investigation? The rule you made up recently, right after hiring a rabid pro-forced-birther as VP of Public Policy?
You have another grant recipient who is in the same boat: the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, who is, of course, affiliated with Penn State University, which is, as you probably know, under investigation for covering up alleged child rape by one of its employees. I linked to part four of the series I did on the issue, and it has links to the other three posts I wrote if you care to read more about the case.
In case you don’t remember, this is the memo Elizabeth Thompson, the president of Koman circulated to the employees, as obtained by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic:
In order to align the terms of the grant contract with our grant eligibility criteria and to ensure that our granting meets the highest standards, several important updates will become effective January 1, 2012. Specifically:
Currently, a Komen grant may be terminated if, among other things, the grantee loses or changes its tax exempt status, is barred from receiving federal or state funds, or if we learn of any financial and/or administrative improprieties. Going forward, these same standards will now also be used in determining eligibility for Komen grants.
Further, should Komen become aware that an applicant or its affiliates are under formal investigation for financial or administrative improprieties by local, state or federal authorities, the applicant will be ineligible to receive a grant. An organization may regain its eligibility once the investigation is concluded if the organization and its related affiliates are cleared of any wrongdoing.
The investigation into PSU has been known since late last year, Komen, so any of their affiliates should have been excluded as grant recipients this year, amirite?
Perhaps you did not know about the PSU investigation as it’s difficult to keep up with all your donees or it somehow slipped your mind when you instituted this new rule. Anyway, since you have reassured everyone that the decision to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding isn’t political, you will strip Milton S. Hershey Medical Center of its funding as well.
Right?
Obviously they have to cut off Penn State. Unless, of course, the new rule was just a post hoc rationalization for their decision to cut off funds to Planned Parenthood for political reasons. But I’m sure that couldn’t be possible.
Apparently, the folks at Komen think child rape is okay, but breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood isn’t.
I’d bang my head against the wall, but I’ve done that so much since this shit-storm broke that I’ve got a giant headache.
Because only financial improprieties are severe enough to merit the immediate withdrawal of one’s support. Unless the perpetrators are as rich and bigoted as we are.
“Race for the Cure” slogan soon to be replaced by “Race to the Bottom”… black ribbon, anyone?