As the Komen Foundation Caves, the Internet Wins Again

Just a few weeks after the tidal wave of internet backlash postponed the controversial PIPA and SOPA legislation (in the Senate and House, respectively), the mighty Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has caved to a mass influx of criticism following its decision on Tuesday to discontinue funding for breast cancer screening done by Planned Parenthood.

The outcry was so intense that seven Planned Parenthood affiliates issued a statement of disapproval, 26 senators put pressure on the Komen foundation in one way or another, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave Planned Parenthood $250,000 to help make up for the money lost.

But the outcry was swiftest and harshest from (and one could argue what spawned the official criticism of the Komen grant restructuring) the general public, who took to the usual social media venues like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr to express their disbelief and rally others behind them.

And just like with SOPA and PIPA, they successfully changed the national conversation. Komen insisted that the change in policy was for efficiency and had nothing whatsoever to do with politics, but even so, the campaign to stop the grant cancellation in its tracks proved successful, no matter the foundation's reasoning. And in just a few days at that.

Sure, the impact of the internet is often overblown, but it is clear in these two cases that the internet was the vehicle that carried the public's voice to Komen's offices in accelerated fashion.

Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker explained the decision in a statement attributed to her and the group's board. Here's an excerpt:

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives.

The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. 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.

Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities."

So, there you have it, the internet is victorious in another massive campaign, this time however, the cause was not the future of the internet itself, but the future of individuals.

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