Komen for the Cure's Nancy Brinker Addresses Planned Parenthood Flap on NBC

Komen for the Cure founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker addressed the organization's controversial decision to cut funding to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in a six-minute interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, a breast cancer survivor and friend, in one of her first public statements beyond a video statement released on Wednesday. Brinker says the Komen board's decision to make "grant excellence" a measure for funding led to Planned Parenthood being dropped and denied it was singled out or that Komen's brand has been damaged.

New York-based radiologist Dr. Kathy Plesser threatened to quit Komen's medical advisory board unless the decision was reversed. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg also announced that he is giving a $250,000 matching gift to Planned Parenthood to help make up for the loss of funding by the Komen Foundation. "Politics have no place in health care," the mayor stated. "Breast cancer screening saves lives, and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way."