Komen for the Cure is still trying to recover from last week’s credibility-killing fiasco involving Planned Parenthood grants, and to that end, there’s been a major shake-up within the organization.
Karen Handel announced her resignation as vice president for public policy in a letter to Komen officials Tuesday.
Handel said in her letter that she had supported cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood.
As part of her departure, Handel “openly acknowledge[d]” her role in the Planned Parenthood decision, which is curious given her comments to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell last week, when she said she wasn’t involved in the decision.
It’s unclear exactly how voluntary Handel’s resignation is, but it’s likely that Komen officials hold her directly responsible for what transpired. As The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg reported last week, Handel, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate from Georgia and staunch opponent of abortion rights and Planned Parenthood, drove the controversial decision within the organization. The entirety of Handel’s resignation letter is online.
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