EMILY’s List President Statement on Susan G. Komen’s Decision to Strip Planned Parenthood of Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock released the following statement on Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s decision to strip Planned Parenthood of funding.

“By ending their grants to Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has put the lives of women -- especially poor women -- at risk. Planned Parenthood is often the only choice many women have when they need essential health care services. That includes regular checkups, birth control, and -- yes -- screenings for breast, cervical, and other cancers.

“Our brave women in the Senate are already standing up to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, signing on to a letter urging them to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore their grants to Planned Parenthood. EMILY’s List is proud to stand with them – and proud of the work we’re doing to send even more Democratic women to join their fight. Weeks like this one just highlight the absolutely critical need for women’s voices to be heard in Congress. Democratic women are standing up to the right and building a more progressive America, and we need them fighting for us more than ever.”

In the 2009-2010 cycle, EMILY’s List raised more than $38.5 million to support its mission of recruiting and supporting women candidates, helping them build strong campaigns, and mobilizing women voters to turn out and vote. With a community of more than 1,000,000 members across the country, EMILY’s List is one of the largest political action committees in the nation. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY’s List has worked to elect 87 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 16 to the U.S. Senate, nine governors, and hundreds of women to the state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and other key local offices. In the 2009-2010 cycle, EMILY’s List had the largest number of members and donors in our 27 year history.