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Petition Campaigns Preceded Karen Handel’s Resignation from Komen

Aine Creedon
February 10, 2012
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February 7, 2012; Source: Meltwater Press | NPQ has been keeping a close eye on the explosive controversy involving Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s now-rescinded decision to discontinue its funding to Planned Parenthood. Yesterday, Komen Vice President of Public Policy Karen Handel, who was accused of instigating the decision, announced that she will be stepping down.

 

On top of the viral content circulating on Handel’s anti-abortion and anti-gay views, including an interview in which Handel voices her anti-gay political stance on adoption and marriage, there were also at least two online campaigns urging Handel to resign which may have successfully contributed to the announcement.

 

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UltraViolet, an online community of activists striving to fight sexism in the public sector, launched one of the campaigns which collected more than 37,000 signatures in less than a week, and CREDO Action, Planned Parenthood’s largest corporate donor, launched a very similar campaign which accumulated more than 50,000 signatures. CREDO, whose campaign included hundreds of calls to Komen’s Dallas headquarters, also pledged a $200,000 grant program to replenish the funds that had been threatened by Komen’s former decision.

 

UltraViolet co-founder Shaunna Thomas said, “It was clear that Karen Handel was willing to put her extremist political agenda ahead of women’s lives. That was a big problem for Komen for the Cure’s mission, so her resignation is definitely a positive sign for the organization.”

 

With the intense scrutiny focused on Komen since the contentious decision and subsequent reversal, it isn’t tremendously surprising that Handel resigned, but we wonder to what degree these online campaigns and any others that were in process may have impacted Komen’s choice. –Aine Creedon

 

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About the author
Aine Creedon

Aine Creedon is Nonprofit Quarterly's Digital Publishing Coordinator and has worn many hats at NPQ over the past five years. She has extensive experience with social media, communications and outreach in the nonprofit sector, and spent two years in Americorps programs serving with a handful of organizations across the nation. Aine currently resides in Denver, Colorado where she enjoys hiking with her pups Frida and Tucker. She enjoys volunteering in her free time and also serves on the advisory board for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Denver and is the Marketing Liaison for YNPN Denver's Professional Development Committee.

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