Amid fervor over Susan G. Komen for the Cure's withdrawal and subsequent reinstatement of funds to Planned Parenthood, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged to donate up to $250,000 to Planned Parenthood, saying politics have no place in healthcare.
"Healthcare is at the top of the list of things we have to worry about," Bloomberg said on MSNBC Friday afternoon. "I don't think politics should enter into it. I don't know what got the Komen Foundation to make their decision, I'm glad they reversed it. But the bottom line is Planned Parenthood is an organization that was providing a great service in terms of screening for breast cancer and they do a lot of other things as well."
Earlier this week the Komen foundation cut off funding to Planned Parenthood due to a new policy that pulled money from groups that are under investigation. House Republicans, led by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), are looking to investigate Planned Parenthood’s finances to determine whether the group's federal funding is kept separate from abortion services, as required under the law.
However, after a wave of backlash from both within and beyond the political world, the Komen foundation
amended its grant policies to only apply to investigations that are “criminal and conclusive in nature and not political," therefore negating its severance from Planned Parenthood.
“The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen,” the group said in a statement. “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.”
Bloomberg, who is known for his support for a woman's right to choose, also called for more involvement from the private sector on issues like healthcare, saying donations like his help fuel the prevention of cancer.
"I think you should continue to support both these organizations," Bloomberg said. "My challenge grant still stands. ... Organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Susan Komen Foundation do great work and it's important that the private sector kicks in and allows them to prevent disease."
