Jackie Speier: “Today I rise quite saddened by the news that the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has made a political decision--a fine…”

“Today I rise quite saddened by the news that the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has made a political decision--a fine nonprofit that I have been associated with for years. I've run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I've walked in the Race for the Cure. I have been the emcee of a number of events locally that they have held. So I have been a big booster of the Susan G. Komen organization. But not anymore. Their announcement yesterday that they are no longer going to fund any organization that is being investigated by a Federal, State, or local body means that Planned Parenthood is no longer going to receive $600,000 a year. Now, ironically, yesterday, the Komen organization also announced, and with great concern in a statement, that the dismal rate of breast cancer screening with women who do not have insurance is something like 38.2 percent. {time} 1030 Last year, the Planned Parenthood organization was responsible for over 700,000--700,000--breast cancer screenings for women who are poor, for women who don't have insurance, for women who seek to get the health care they get through Planned Parenthood. So over the last 5 years, there have been 4 million breast cancer screenings by Planned Parenthood. Komen has funded about 170,000 of them through Planned Parenthood. So what does this mean? Well, I guess it means that Susan G. Komen has decided to become a 501(c)(4), because no longer do they want to be providing nonprofits.…”