Komen, the highest-funded breast cancer organization in the U.S., has been coming under fire for its decision to end financial support of Planned Parenthood.
The hack, first noticed by
The original, which reads "help us get 26.2 or 13.1 miles closer to a world without breast cancer:"
And the hacker's version, "help us run over poor people on the way to the bank:"
According to Gather, the hacking effort was so thorough, it even redirected search engine results for Komen.
Komen announced its decision to end its longstanding partnership with Planned Parenthood Wednesday, citing an organization policy that bars it from contributing to groups that are under "local, state or federal" investigation. Planned Parenthood is under such an inquiry, launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), which is aiming to find out if public money was improperly spent on abortions.
Komen's past monetary contributions to Planned Parenthood number in the millions, mostly for breast cancer screenings and services. Planned Parenthood said in a
The decision was met with ire from some who considered the decision to be politically motivated and counter to the interest of Komen. Outraged people vented their frustration with the decision on Komen's Facebook page:
Anti-Planned Parenthood Facebook users joined in as well:
Komen itself used its YouTube page and Twitter account to defend the decision:
We’ve spent 30 years helping low-income, uninsured and underinsured women, investing $93 million to those programs last year alone.— Susan G. Komen (@komenforthecure) February 2, 2012
Tuesday, Komen's top health official, Moille Williams, left his position in protest of Komen's decision to make the cut, reports
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood has started an online donation drive to help offset the lost Komen donations.
“We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a statement. "Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count."