Komen Still Hurting From Their Foray Into Right-Wing Politics

As you probably know by now, the Susan G. Komen Foundation recently exposed their right-wing political beliefs by announcing they would no longer provide funds to Planned Parenthood for their breast exam and mammogram program (a program that helped thousands of women who could not afford an alternative). That move resulted in a firestorm of protest directed against them.

They eventually apologized, and said they would consider giving grants to Planned Parenthood in the future -- although they made no promise to do so. I think they thought that would make everything OK. But personally, I no longer trust the Komen Foundation now that I know the nasty political leanings of the founder and the board of directors. And it looks like I'm not the only one who no longer trusts them.

The Komen Foundation has scheduled its Run For The Cure race in Fort Worth for April 14th. At this point last year, the early registration total for the race stood at 4,178 and eventually around 14,000 participated in the race. But this year the early registrations have been far less, only 2,125 have signed up so far. Race organizers say they're not sure the lag in registration is because of the Planned Parenthood debacle, and hope the registrations will pick up after summer vacation.

I think they are engaging in some wishful thinking. There are a whole lot of people who are still angry about the Komen Foundation entering right-wing political waters. Komen broke their trust, and trust is not something that can be cured in a short period of time with a half-hearted apology.

If I were in the Komen Foundation, I would be very worried. Texas is an ultra-conservative state, and if Komen support is down by 50% here you can imagine how badly they have been hurt in other areas.