A teaching moment about politics and Komen

Samantha King, author of PINK RIBBONS, INC., writes an op-ed for CNN.

King_pink cover(CNN) -- Karen Handel, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation vice president—and lightning rod in the group's public relations storm over Planned Parenthood funding--stepped down from her position Tuesday. For many it was almost a satisfying ending to an eye-opening incident. None of it should have come as a shock.

When the Komen foundation last week bowed to pressure from anti-abortion activists to stop most of its funding of Planned Parenthood, the furor was swift and forceful. Komen's decision was frequently described in the media and in the online outcry as a "betrayal" — of its mission, of the millions of Americans who run in its Race for the Cure every year, and of the women whom Komen and Planned Parenthood serve.

But to people familiar with the foundation, the decision was hardly a surprise. Under the perky pink ribbon at the center of Komen's brand lies a distinctly conservative orientation shaped over three decades by the foundation's political and corporate alliances.

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Published in: Special to CNN
By: Samantha King