Question: how do you make everyone end up hating an organization that does something that should be beneficial for everyone in a fairly apolitical way?

Answer: Have that organization very publicly, and yet very underhandedly, flip-flop on abortion

The Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation, the most prominent name in Breast Cancer research and awareness, recently layed out a very odd scheme to pull funding from Planned Parenthood, funding that was going to help Planned Parenthood provide Breast Cancer screenings and nothing else (no moneys to abortion, or even to family planning or birth control). They did it secretly, making the decision last fall and notifying local affiliates only recently that funding would stop flowing.

The story is that Komen has long been under pressure from anti-abortion groups who were aware of the ties to Planned Parenthood, and Komen had some higher-up executives who were also pro-life. They decided to change their rules about donations such that they "could not donate to groups under government investigation," and because of a blatantly political move by a Republican Representative from Florida to put Planned Parenthood under Congressional investigation, this meant Planned Parenthood was no longer able to receive funding. Insider details have made it fairly clear that they deliberately made this rule as a loophole specifically to target Planned Parenthood

What followed in the past week was a firestorm of controversy from Pro-Choice groups, including 26 Senators (25 dems and the Bernie Sanders) and various individuals all over the country who began pouring donations into Planned Parenthood.

This then, of course, leads to Komen backtracking as of Friday, where they re-vamped their "rules" to make sure that Planned Parenthood could continue to get funding

The fun part is that now they've just pissed off everyone. Pro-Choice groups see them as an institution caught with their pants down, who tried to play a blatantly political move and got caught, and therefore will now see Komen as untrustworthy (and there are quite a few options for punting your Breast Cancer donations out there). While Pro-Life groups will just see Komen as weak-kneed, both because they tried to sever ties with Planned Parenthood in a covert way, and because they caved to pressure from Pro-Choice groups, and will just continue being pissed off at Komen, though now only more-so

In the middle, of course, are low-income women who just need screening for Breast Cancer. But Komen is almost the definition of screwed at this point, since they've essentially betrayed both sides of the most polarized issue in America.

Donations are bullshit, anyway. It's a way of feeling like you've done something without actually having to do anything. "Here's some money, now get out of my hair." That's why I provide surprise breast cancer screenings absolutely free of charge (except for the charges brought against me, of course).

Does seem poorly done. I mean if they REALLY wanted to do it smart they would of cited was the fact that said cancer tests aren't approved as acceptable screenings for cancer.

Better then nothing? Sure at least it's a plausible excuse though.

What I haven't really gotten because i didn't really read much on it, was if these polices changed before or after the senate investigation.

Which is kind of a silly investigation, since... "Has government money been spent on abortions" is an outright yes even if it is illegal.

For the procedures specifically? Probably not, but it's been used to rent the space the procedures take place in, and pay for the power used during the surgeries.

If we passed a law that outlawed government spending money on tobacco farming, I'd think we'd find it illegal to spend that money on the land and the water used to fertilize the land.

It's just a distinction not usually broached because the Republicans likely think that would lead to an end of the law, rather then an end to Planned parenthood funding.