Cliff and Komen

I was more than stunned to learn that all of the recent controversy about the Susan G. Komen Search for the Cure's defunding of Planned Parenthood may all go back to the actions of one Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala. But that is exactly what reporting by the New York Times suggests. As the publication highlighted a Komen official giving contradicting stories about defunding, this paragraph was tossed into an NYT report:

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Her comments directly contradicted those of John D. Raffaelli, a Komen board member and Washington lobbyist, who told The New York Times on Wednesday that Komen made the changes to its grant-making process specifically to end its relationship with Planned Parenthood. Mr. Raffaelli said that Komen had become increasingly worried that an investigation of Planned Parenthood by Representative Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, would damage Komen’s credibility with donors.
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This is absurd, of course, as all of the Republican rhetoric in Washington about Planned Parenthood has been transparently political.

But what I am most interested in right now is the actions of Stearns, who I will note was my congressman for many years when I lived in Leesburg and remains the representative for my family. When I covered politics there, of course, I spoke to Stearns many times. He was ardently pro-life, so a distaste for Planned Parenthood isn't that surprising, but what disturbs me about this bit of information is that his actions may well be motivated to hurt the broader actions of Planned Parenthood far beyond just the abortion issue.

We now have seen as a direct result of Stearns opening up an investigation - if such an action by a politically-motivated member of Congress even deserves that label - that funding which for fundamental health services supported by Planned Parenthood could be at risk. The NYT piece notes the $700K donated by Komen is a tiny portion of the funding PP gets, but it seems to me the intent of Stearns investigation was to goad a number of organizations, not just Komen, into rethinking funding.

Since the Republicans retook the House, I have been extraordinarily disturbed by the way they have gone after organizations with broad missions because of disagreements over specific political issues. The attacks on NPR because of perceived bias. The assault on ACORN over unsubstantiated allegations of criminal sympathy. The broad-brushed attacks on Planned Parenthood because of abortion.

It is clear now that Stearns and his kin are willing to put any number of services provided by Planned Parenthood at risk just so they can smear a credible voice in pro-choice politics. For Stearns, who has always been a supporter of critical health research, this is especially hypocritical and disappointing.

I know a fair number of the people who read this blog live in or near Stearns district, and I think it is time they made their voice heard. Stearns is hurting access to mammograms, family planning and other critical services through his politicizes "investigation" of Planned Parenthood. This is wrong, and the congressman should not be able to do this and suffer no consequences whatsoever.

Update: The Susan G. Komen foundation has reversed course on the funding issue. From their statement today: "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."