Bill To Mint Breast Cancer Coin Yanked Over Komen’s Planned Parenthood Ties

UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, arrives for the Congressional Women's Softball game that pits Congresswomen against female journalists at Watkins Recreation Center on Capitol Hill, June 18, 201... UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, arrives for the Congressional Women's Softball game that pits Congresswomen against female journalists at Watkins Recreation Center on Capitol Hill, June 18, 2014. Team Congress prevailed in a 10-5 victory. The game benefits the Young Survival Coalition that helps young women with breast cancer. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Yet again, abortion politics threaten the fate of a well-intentioned piece of legislation in Congress.

House GOP leadership cancelled a vote scheduled Tuesday on a bill to mint a commemorative coin for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as conservatives raised concerns about the organization’s ties to Planned Parenthood, National Journal reported. The coin would have raised money for the foundation’s breast cancer research, and the legislation had bipartisan support, having initially been backed by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

Earlier Tuesday, Heritage Action issued an alert urging members to vote “no” on the bill, because it said in minting the coin the U.S. Treasury would be funneling $4.75 million to an organization that “notoriously funds abortion giant Planned Parenthood.”

The foundation’s relationship with Planned Parenthood has been a source of controversy before. In 2012, the announcement that the Komen foundation would end donations to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings brought a swift backlash, prompting a quick reversal of the decision.

A House GOP aide, speaking anonymously, told National Journal that leadership was “working to ensure that charitable organizations which receive funding from this legislation are 100 percent focused on diagnosing, treating, and curing breast cancer.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. PP is about as evil as you can get. Pay for death is their motto.

  2. Since minting this coin would do about as much good for breast cancer victims as not minting it I figure not minting it would be the way to go. Also, people on both sides of the abortion issue have qualms about the Komen foundation. No doubt it would have cost something to mint this coin. Repurposing the funds to medical research would be preferable.

  3. There are far fewer deaths with PP in operation than there would be without. Why do you want to control other people’s bodies? MYOB.

  4. When the American Taliban says jump, the GOP says “how high?”.

  5. Oh look, another idiot who thinks he should have the power of the state to force others to donate the use of their internal organs to other, without their consent.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

10 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for fgs Avatar for gelfling545 Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for artemisia Avatar for leftflank Avatar for carlosfiance Avatar for formerrepublican Avatar for boidster Avatar for michandaro Avatar for canadian Avatar for jafafahots Avatar for themiddleman Avatar for darrtown

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: