Susan komen planned parenthood 2018

HKS729

Case Number 1975.0

This case was written by Laura Winig, Case Writer, for Professor Archon Fung, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. HKS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management.

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Social Media and the Planned Parenthood/ Susan G. Komen for the Cure Controversy

In the early afternoon of Tuesday, January 31, 2012, The Associated Press released what would soon become

a major news story, writing: “The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its

partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two

iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women. The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands

of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams.”1 The article cited “newly adopted criteria barring grants to

organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities” and referenced a congressional

investigation of Planned Parenthood as the key reason for the change. Planned Parenthood accused Susan G.

Komen for the Cure of “bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists.” Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile

Richards, told The Associated Press, "It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of

saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying. It's really hurtful."2 Over the next four days the

controversy roiled the nation, drawing politicians, activists, the press and supporters of both organizations into a

painful battle that pitted one venerable women’s health organization against another.

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (Planned Parenthood), the nation's largest nonprofit sexual and

reproductive healthcare provider and advocacy organization, traced its roots to 1916 when nurse Margaret Sanger

defied U.S. Comstock laws—45-year old legislation that made contraception illegal—by opening the country’s first

birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York.3 Sanger’s dedication to the effort was personal: she believed her

mother’s death age fifty was the result of the strain of bearing eighteen pregnancies.4 In 1923 Sanger opened a

1 “Planned Parenthood Blames Pro-life ‘Bullying’ After Cancer Charity Cuts Funds,” The Guardian, January 31, 2012,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/31/planned-parenthood-bullying-cancer-charity, accessed November 15, 2012. 2 “Planned Parenthood Blames Pro-life ‘Bullying’ After Cancer Charity Cuts Funds,” The Guardian, January 31, 2012,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/31/planned-parenthood-bullying-cancer-charity, accessed November 15, 2012. 3

“History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we- are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 4

Public Broadcasting Service, The Pill, People & Events, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/p_sanger.html, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/31/planned-parenthood-bullying-cancer-charity
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HKS Case Program 2 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

new clinic in Manhattan, which later became Planned Parenthood.5 Thirteen years later, the ban on contraceptives

was declared unconstitutional by the courts and by the 1960s, the American Medical Association legitimized the

use of birth control, a term coined by Sanger, as part of accepted medical practice—the same year that Planned

Parenthood funded research led to the development of oral pills for contraception. Demand for “the pill” was

overwhelming: by 1965, 25% of married women in the U.S. had tried oral contraceptives.6

Casting itself as an advocate for women’s reproductive rights, Planned Parenthood began to call for the

legalization of abortion. In 1972, after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its landmark decision in Roe v. Wade

recognizing the constitutional right to privacy and women's right to choose abortion, Planned Parenthood began to

offer abortion services. The organization became the standard bearer for abortion rights but Americans were

polarized on the highly controversial and emotional issue; the agency soon garnered loyalty from patients and

supporters and disdain from conservative activists and opposition groups. Indeed, throughout the 1980s, the

organization was subjected to violent protests, including clinic bombings, sidewalk barricades in front of clinics and

the murders of doctors and healthcare workers by vocal and well-organized anti-abortion groups.7

As a result, Planned Parenthood began to engage in advocacy work and in 1987, actively opposed President

Ronald Reagan’s appointment of Judge Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court in response to Bork’s support for

overturning Roe v. Wade. Planned Parenthood stated that its efforts to block his appointment (undertaken with

more than 250 other organizations) marked “the start of a new era of mobilization.”8 Indeed in 1989, Planned

Parenthood officially established its political and advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, to lead

public education campaigns and grassroots organizing in support of abortion rights.9

In the 1990s, Planned Parenthood lobbied Congress to pass the Equity in Prescription Insurance and

Contraceptive Coverage Act requiring health insurers to cover contraceptive care in the same way they covered

other prescriptions and medical services. In 1998, when health insurers agreed to cover Viagra, a new drug for

men created to treat erectile dysfunction, Planned Parenthood launched a campaign to publicize what it described

as hypocrisy. In a subsequent victory, a federal judge ruled in 2002 that an employer's exclusion of prescription

contraception from its health benefits was illegal sex discrimination.10

In addition to lobbying, Planned Parenthood organized protests, letter writing campaigns and events to enlist

public support. In 2001, for example, Americans sent more than $600,000 to Planned Parenthood and 30,000

5 “History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-

are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 6 “History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-

are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 7 “History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-

are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 8 “History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-

are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 9 “History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-

are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 10

“History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we- are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

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HKS Case Program 3 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

letters to President George W. Bush in response to Planned Parenthood’s announcement that Bush had introduced

a global gag rule restricting funding for international family planning. Later in the year, thousands of Americans

donated their federal tax rebates to Planned Parenthood.11 In 2003, after President Bush signed into law legislation

that criminalized abortions under certain circumstances, Planned Parenthood joined two other organizations in

suing the government and the law was struck down when federal district courts determined that it failed to

protect women's health, posed an undue burden on a woman's right to choose, and was unconstitutionally

vague.12 In response, Planned Parenthood organized the March for Women's Lives in 2004 in Washington, D.C., the

largest pro-choice demonstration in history with more than one million participants.13

Planned Parenthood in 2012

In 2012, Planned Parenthood had more than six million supporters and donors14 and proudly promoted the

fact that one in five American women had visited Planned Parenthood for healthcare at least once in their

lifetime.15 Planned Parenthood described its mission as “promoting a commonsense approach to women’s health

and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health,

sex, and family planning.”16 The organization was comprised of 77 locally governed affiliates across the U.S. that

collectively operated just under 800 health centers.17

Though Planned Parenthood was well known for its controversial abortion services, the organization noted

that 76% of its clients received birth control services and only 3% of all services were for abortions. Planned

Parenthood also provided cancer screening services annually (nearly 770,000 Pap tests and 750,000 breast exams)

as well as tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The organization’s affiliates

offered educational programs that reached 1.1 million people annually.

In its 2010 annual report, the organization reported $970 million in revenues of which 84% was spent on

medical services and programs and 16% on administration and fundraising.18 Though Planned Parenthood did not

publish its major donor or corporate sponsor list, supporters that reported donations on their own tax filings

11 “History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-

are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 12

“History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we- are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 13

“History & Successes,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we- are/history-and-successes.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 14

“Planned Parenthood at a glance,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about- us/who-we-are/planned-parenthood-glance-5552.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 15

“Who we are,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are- 4648.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 16

“Who we are,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are- 4648.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 17

“Who we are,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are- 4648.htm, accessed November 15, 2012. 18

Planned Parenthood Federation of America Annual Report, 2009 -2010, http://issuu.com/actionfund/docs/ppfa_financials_2010_122711_web_vf?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/history-and-successes.htm
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included Sol Goldman Investments, Bonanza Oil, CREDO Mobile, Telosa Software, Bank of America and Nike; most

donations were less than $250,000 and only one reached $1 million.19

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

As if it were yesterday, I can remember the phone call I received from Suzy one Tuesday afternoon. Her doctor

had found a lump in her breast that was not a cyst. He recommended a biopsy. . . I decided to fly home to Peoria.

When I got off the plane, my father was waiting there alone with an expression on his face I will never forget. He

didn't have to say a word. At the age of 33, Suzy had breast cancer. —Nancy Goodman Brinker20

In 1980, after battling breast cancer for three years, Susan Goodman Komen, a model from Peoria, Illinois,

died at the age of thirty-six. Before she died, Komen, extracted a promise from her younger sister, Nancy Brinker,

to end the “shame, pain, fear and hopelessness” that a breast cancer diagnosis carried.21 "Nan," she said, ". . . let's

do something about this. You can find a way to speed up the research. I know you can. . ."22

After Komen’s death, Brinker traveled back to her home in Texas and in 1982 founded the nonprofit Susan G.

Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (Komen). Though the organization would eventually grow to become a global

leader of the breast cancer movement and what Komen described as “the world’s largest grassroots network of

breast cancer survivors and activists,” in the 1980s the disease received little public attention; Brinker’s first

challenge was raising awareness about breast cancer, which had remained largely out of the press since the mid-

1970s, when former First Lady Betty Ford, a breast cancer survivor, went public with her story about battling with

and surviving the disease.23

In 1983, Brinker created the first Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a fundraising event in which participants

ran or walked 3.1 miles and solicited friends, family and supporters to “sponsor” their participation by making

donations to Komen. To promote the event, Komen created a logo of an abstract female runner outlined with a

pink ribbon—a color and symbol that would be associated with the organization for the next 30 years.24 The first

event, held in Dallas, drew 800 participants; by 2012, Komen’s races registered more than 1.6 million participants

19 “Top Organizations Disclosing Donations to Planned Parenthood, 2012,” Center for Responsive Politics,

http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cycle=2012&cmte=Planned%20Parenthood, accessed November 15, 2012. 20

“Susan G. Komen’s Story,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/SusanGKomensStory.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 21

“Nancy G. Brinker,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 22

“Susan G. Komen’s Story,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/SusanGKomensStory.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 23

“Nancy G. Brinker,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 24

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cycle=2012&cmte=Planned%20Parenthood
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HKS Case Program 5 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

annually in more than 150 cities worldwide.25 Over 80% of race participants were women, with nearly half

reporting household incomes over $75,000; the majority, 56%, were 35 years of age or older.26

In 1991, Komen distributed pink ribbons at the New York City Race for the Cure in 1991 and encouraged

participants to wear them.27 Komen’s Strategic Relationships Vice President, Susan Carter Johns, attributed the

rapid growth in the popularity and size of the races to that decision, noting that Komen began to recognize breast

cancer survivors at the events with pink T-shirts, visors or ribbons indicating how many years had passed since

their initial diagnosis. “This inspired incredible hope,” said Johns. “You’d see a woman going through

chemotherapy next to a woman with 21 ribbons on her visor. This sea of pink—it gave a very visual picture of how

many women were affected by breast cancer. That’s when it really caught fire.”28

Beginning in the late 1980s, Brinker successfully drew corporate sponsors to endorse the organization’s work

by manufacturing pink-colored versions of their products and marketing them to consumers through traditional

retail outlets, making Komen the first charity to market breast cancer as a cause to consumers.29 Other large

corporate sponsors, including American Airlines, New Balance and Yoplait yogurt signed on throughout the 1990s,

attracted to Komen’s commitment to addressing an important—and non-controversial—women’s health issue.

George W. and Barbara Bush were early supporters of Brinker’s cause and in 2001 President Bush invited

Brinker to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, which, by law, meant she had to resign her seat on Komen’s

board.30 She returned to Komen in 2003 but Bush again called her to service in 2007 as Chief of Protocol for the

State Department.

In 2007, the 25 th

anniversary of its founding, Komen changed its name to Susan G. Komen for the Cure,

announcing, “We have realigned our resources, refocused our research efforts and recommitted to finally, once

and for all, finish what we started. And because so many millions of people are counting on us, we will invest an

additional $1 billion over the next decade—by 2017—to do exactly that. Without a cure, 1 in 8 women in the U.S.

will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer—a devastating disease with physical, emotional, psychological

and financial pain that can last a lifetime.”31

25 “International Races,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/internationalraces.html, accessed

November 15, 2012. 26 Susan G. Komen for the Cure, accessed November 15, 2012. 27

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012. 28

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012. 29

“Nancy G. Brinker,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 30

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012. 31

“Our work,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/OurWork.html, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/internationalraces.html
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In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Brinker the country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal

of Freedom, for her work with Komen.32 Later that year, Brinker returned to Komen, this time to serve as CEO. The

organization’s revenues had declined between 2004 and 2009 and the press speculated that her decision to take

on a larger role was driven by her determination to put the organization back on track.33

Komen in 2012

Since its inception, Komen had invested nearly $2 billion in breast cancer research, education, screening and

treatment making it the world’s largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer.34

Komen did not provide direct services or conduct research; rather, the organization relied on its high profile brand

image and public enthusiasm for its races and licensed products to raise funds that were in turn granted to health

service providers, research centers, academic institutions and other organizations working to cure breast cancer.

Komen placed particular emphasis on funding cancer screening; the organization analyzed communities with

the highest breast cancer mortality rates and subsequently designed programs to improve services. For example,

Komen provided transportation to low-income women so they could visit their doctors for mammogram exams.35

Critics, however, decried Komen’s “unwavering focus on screening,” noting that it came “at the expense of efforts

to better investigate environmental causes or more generously fund treatment for poor women.”36 But the

organization was committed to screening and engaged Komen’s political advocacy arm to lobby lawmakers when it

was necessary to advance the organization’s cause. In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an

independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care appointed by the federal Department of Health and

Human Services, amended its long-standing recommendation that women be taught breast self-examination

techniques and undergo yearly mammograms beginning at age 40, finding little evidence necessitating

mammograms before age 50.37 Brinker, herself a breast cancer survivor, was concerned that the Task Force’s

guidelines could result in funding cuts for breast cancer screening. “All these fragile people you were able to

educate and get them focused on their bodies and show them there’s something they can do . . . and then you get

something like that clumsy announcement about changing screening procedures. . . To me, it’s a crime what’s

going on here,” said Brinker.38

32 “Nancy G. Brinker,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html, accessed November

15, 2012. 33

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012. 34

“About Us,” Susan G. Komen for the Cure website, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/AboutUs.html, accessed August 28, 2012; and http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html. 35

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012. 36

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012. 37

Gina Kolata, “Panel Urges Mammograms at 50, not 40,” The New York Times, November 16, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/health/17cancer.html?_r=0, accessed November 15, 2012. 38

Judith Warner, “Her Sister’s Keeper,” More, http://www.more.com/news/womens-issues/her-sisters-keeper, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/NancyBrinker.html
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In 2011, Komen reported $472 million in revenue, of which 57% was derived through its Race for the Cure

events and 38% through direct contributions.39 It spent 19% on screening and treatment, 44% on education and

18% on research; the balance supported administration and fundraising for the organization.40 Ford Motor

Company, Caterpillar, General Mills, Dell Computers, Energizer Batteries, Hallmark, Major League Baseball, Lowe’s,

Holland America Line, Payless Shoe Source and dozens more corporations were members of Komen’s Million

Dollar Council, a group whose members each pledged donations of $1 million annually to the organization.41

Komen operated internationally, sponsoring races, research and programs in 50 countries.42 By 2012 the

organization supported 124 affiliates.

Planned Parenthood and Social Media

On February 18, 2011, a bright media spotlight shone on Planned Parenthood when the U.S. House of

Representatives voted in favor of the Pence Amendment to Title X,43 which called for eliminating $75 million in

federal funding for Planned Parenthood.44 In the weeks leading up to the vote, Planned Parenthood launched what

it referred to as “[the] most intense short-term campaign, we have ever run.”45 Indeed, one executive

characterized it as the first Planned Parenthood campaign to experiment with channels and approaches outside of

“traditional advocacy vehicles.”46

Planned Parenthood had launched its formal online presence in 2002 and believed that its use of the Internet

evolved similarly to that of other large nonprofits: “There was a web space that over time we figured out how to

make more interactive and engaging as the user experience has changed and become more interactive,” explained

Heather Holdridge, Planned Parenthood’s Director of Digital Strategy for Advocacy and Fundraising. “Planned

39 Susan G. Komen for the Cure 2010-2011 Annual Report, Susan G. Komen for the Cure,

http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/FY11%20report%20FINAL%20100812.pdf, accessed November 15, 2012. 40

Susan G. Komen for the Cure 2010-2011 Annual Report, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/FY11%20report%20FINAL%20100812.pdf, accessed November 15, 2012. 41

Susan G. Komen for the Cure 2010-2011 Annual Report, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/FY11%20report%20FINAL%20100812.pdf, accessed November 15, 2012. 42

“Our Work”, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/OurWork.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 43

Public Law 91-572, also known as the Title X Family Planning Program, part of the 1970 Public Health Service Act, was a federal grant program that provided funding for family planning and related preventive health services for low-income and uninsured people. 44

Sandra Fish, “Planned Parenthood Defunding: Family Planning’s Not a GOP Family Value?” Politics Daily, February 19, 2011, http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/19/planned-parenthood-defunding-family-plannings-not-a-gop-family/, accessed October 22, 2012. 45

Erik Eckholm, “Planned Parenthood Financing Is Caught in Budget Feud,” The New York Times, February 17, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/us/politics/18parenthood.html?_r=0, accessed October 22, 2012. 46

“Planned Parenthood and the Web,” Personal Democracy Media, March 29, 2012, http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/FY11%20report%20FINAL%20100812.pdf
http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/FY11%20report%20FINAL%20100812.pdf
http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/FY11%20report%20FINAL%20100812.pdf
http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/OurWork.html
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/19/planned-parenthood-defunding-family-plannings-not-a-gop-family/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/us/politics/18parenthood.html?_r=0
http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript
HKS Case Program 8 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

Parenthood has had a strong e-mail presence . . .[that] has historically been the anchor and the main way in which

the organization has communicated with our supporters.”47

While Holdridge noted that Planned Parenthood joined online social spaces such as Facebook (in 2004),

YouTube (2005) and Twitter (in 2006), as each site was launched on the Internet, it was not until 2011 that the

organization developed an active strategy to leverage the sites. “The fight over the de-funding of the organization

caused us to re-think and fundamentally change how we approach the online space,” said Holdridge. “It also

opened the organization’s eyes to the power of social media in terms of . . . the passion of our supporters in

speaking out on our behalf and doing it in their own voice.”48 Planned Parenthood’s social media staff posted

content for supporters to “remix or make their own, or just re-share what was posted by others," said a former

staff member.49

The campaign resulted in thousands of calls and e-mails to Congress by Planned Parenthood supporters;

nevertheless, the amendment passed the House and Planned Parenthood staff geared up for the Senate vote

expected in April.50 "Within moments of the House vote, we had all our messages out through e-mail, social media,

YouTube, and even chaperoned e-mails through partners," explained Stephanie Lauf, then Planned Parenthood’s

Director of Online Supporter Engagement.51 Another former manager described Planned Parenthood’s strategy as

one of constant communication, both inside the organization and with supporters. "We needed to be on the

phone with each other to work on integration and coordination of the messages across channels. When this was a

situation where we were all working 12 hours a day, people didn't want another meeting, but in a crisis you have

to get together at least once a day to be sure we were all together," she said.52

Gabriela Lazzaro, then Digital Content Manager, said Planned Parenthood focused on maintaining a steady

volume of communication: "[But] we were getting tired of our own message. Three of us made a silly video kind of

mocking ourselves . . . explaining why this was a drawn out campaign and posted that on social channels. And lots

47 “Planned Parenthood and the Web,” Personal Democracy Media, March 29, 2012,

http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript, accessed November 15, 2012. 48

“Planned Parenthood and the Web,” Personal Democracy Media, March 29, 2012, http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript, accessed November 15, 2012. 49

Amy Sample Ward, “Stand with Planned Parenthood: Lessons From Crisis Response Campaigns 3-12-2012,” The Non Profit Times, http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response- campaigns-4462, accessed November 15, 2012. 50

Amy Sample Ward, “Stand with Planned Parenthood: Lessons From Crisis Response Campaigns 3-12-2012,” The Non Profit Times, http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response- campaigns-4462, accessed November 15, 2012. 51

Amy Sample Ward, “Stand with Planned Parenthood: Lessons From Crisis Response Campaigns 3-12-2012,” The Non Profit Times, http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response- campaigns-4462, accessed November 15, 2012. 52

Amy Sample Ward, “Stand with Planned Parenthood: Lessons From Crisis Response Campaigns 3-12-2012,” The Non Profit Times, http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response- campaigns-4462, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript
http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
HKS Case Program 9 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

of people responded. Salon even picked it up. We filmed ourselves calling congress to show how easy it really is."53

In addition to creating content, the organization used search engine optimization to draw people to its website or

Facebook page. They also created a website page featuring pictures of supporters—including celebrities—holding

“We stand with Planned Parenthood” signs, as well as easy-to-scan information about the issues, news and links to

their social media venues.54

On April 14, 2011 the Senate voted down the measure. Soon after, Planned Parenthood increased its digital

advocacy and fundraising staff: of the organization’s 342 employees in New York and Washington, 40 worked on

communications issues, which included 18 whose focus was on social media and other digital projects.55 Just after

the Pence vote, the organization began working to improve its digital advocacy strategy, according to Dawn

Laguens, Executive Vice President at Planned Parenthood. She deemed the vote a wake-up call: “We were learning

a lot,” said Laguens. “Part of it was, how do you absorb a million new people into your activism? People were

coming out of the woodwork.”56 Though Planned Parenthood’s core demographic had long skewed young and

female—18-45 year old women—the organization’s new supporters were technology savvy, which presented both

a challenge and an opportunity. “The younger generation has not just a facility with the Internet, but they’re

content creators in ways that consistently amaze me,” said Holdridge, who noted that the organization had to be

careful to maintain its own professionalism even as it worked to encourage creativity and informality among its

supporters. “We have a brand and we have a point of view and we have an expertise that we’re trying to

communicate in everything that we do. At the same time, we are trying to reach a constituency who doesn’t

necessarily want to be engaged with in a super formal way,” she said.57

Komen v. Planned Parenthood

As the nation’s two largest organizations dedicated to women’s health, Komen and Planned Parenthood had

much in common. “We were Planned Parenthood’s ‘sisters’ in the nonprofit world; women were our shared

constituency,” said Karen Handel, Komen’s former Senior Vice President for Public Policy.58 Nevertheless, Komen

had been a target of anti-abortion groups since it began providing funding to Planned Parenthood in 2005.59 Komen

53 Amy Sample Ward, “Stand with Planned Parenthood: Lessons From Crisis Response Campaigns 3-12-2012,” The Non Profit

Times, http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response- campaigns-4462, accessed November 15, 2012. 54

Amy Sample Ward, “Stand with Planned Parenthood: Lessons From Crisis Response Campaigns 3-12-2012,” The Non Profit Times, http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response- campaigns-4462, accessed November 15, 2012. 55

Suzanne Perry, “Planned Parenthood’s Social-Media Magic,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, http://philanthropy.com/article/Planned-Parenthood-s/131981/, accessed November 15, 2012. 56

Suzanne Perry, “Planned Parenthood’s Social-Media Magic,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, http://philanthropy.com/article/Planned-Parenthood-s/131981/, accessed November 15, 2012. 57

“Planned Parenthood and the Web,” Personal Democracy Media, March 29, 2012, http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript, accessed November 15, 2012. 58

Karen Handel, Planned Bullyhood: the Truth Behind the Headlines About the Planned Parenthood Funding Battle with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Howard Books, September 11, 2012. 59

David Crary, “Cancer Charity Halts Grants to Planned Parenthood,” The Associated Press, January 31, 2012, Lexis-Nexis Academic, accessed September 13, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/stand-with-planned-parenthood-lessons-from-crisis-response-campaigns-4462
http://philanthropy.com/article/Planned-Parenthood-s/131981/
http://philanthropy.com/article/Planned-Parenthood-s/131981/
http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript
HKS Case Program 10 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

earmarked its Planned Parenthood grants to pay for clinical breast exams and mammogram referrals and Planned

Parenthood assured Komen that its funds would not be used to pay for controversial abortion services.

Nevertheless, pro-life groups criticized Komen, calling for the organization to sever ties with Planned Parenthood.

Komen had been considering whether to end funding to Planned Parenthood as criticism began to intensify in

2011, according to Karen Handel:60

Komen was facing boycotts from Catholics, Baptists, and numerous pro-life groups.

Corporate sponsors were withdrawing, not wanting to be associated with controversy.

Race participants were pulling out. Komen’s local affiliates were frustrated, and their

fund-raising was being affected. Add to this Komen’s own mounting public relations

issues and declining revenues, and something had to give. . .[Brinker and Komen

president Elizabeth Thompson] . . .wanted Komen out of the middle of the pro-

life/abortion debate. It was not our issue. It had become a major distraction, sucking up

manpower and putting a damper on fund-raising. We were a breast cancer organization,

and we couldn’t afford to offend either side.61

Two months after the House vote on the Pence Amendment, Komen’s board formed a subcommittee to

consider Planned Parenthood’s funding and concurrently, Komen staff began meeting on the issue. Both the staff

review and board subcommittee concluded that funding for Planned Parenthood should continue and left

unchanged the $650,000 in grants it had already made to Planned Parenthood in 2011.62

More Controversy for Planned Parenthood

In September 2011, Representative Cliff Stearns, a Republican from Florida, notified Planned Parenthood that

he had initiated a congressional investigation to discover if taxpayer money provided to Planned Parenthood was

being used to fund abortion services.63 Planned Parenthood saw this as a thinly-veiled attempt to continue the

effort to de-fund the organization. In response, Planned Parenthood launched a new advocacy campaign on

election day that it dubbed Women are Watching. “The . . . campaign is . . . a way for us to talk about women’s

health as a political issue and honestly, when we were doing the planning for this, it was aspirational that women’s

health would be an issue in the campaign,” said Holdridge. “With a lot of the broader fights that we’ve had . . . this

60 Karen Handel, Planned Bullyhood: the Truth Behind the Headlines About the Planned Parenthood Funding Battle with Susan G.

Komen for the Cure, Howard Books, September 11, 2012. 61

Karen Handel, Planned Bullyhood: the Truth Behind the Headlines About the Planned Parenthood Funding Battle with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Howard Books, September 11, 2012. 62

Washington Post Staff, “Timeline of Key Events in Komen Controversy,” The Washington Post, February 7, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen- controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 63

Washington Post Staff, “Timeline of Key Events in Komen Controversy,” The Washington Post, February 7, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen- controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html, accessed November 15, 2012.

For the exclusive use of B. Libbin, 2018.

This document is authorized for use only by Bryan Libbin in 2018 Foundations of Strategic Communication taught by MICHELLE SHUMATE, Northwestern University from Aug 2018 to Feb 2019.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen-controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen-controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen-controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen-controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html
HKS Case Program 11 of 30 Case Number 1975.0

is something that people are paying attention to. So, it is our attempt to highlight candidates who are with us, our

champions, and who are not with us, our chumps.”64

On November 28, 2011, Komen’s board voted unanimously to change its granting criteria to deny funding

eligibility to any organization under formal investigation for financial or administrative improprieties by local, state

or federal authorities.65 An organization could regain its eligibility once the investigation was concluded if the

organization and its affiliates were cleared of any wrongdoing.66 Handel explained Komen’s rationale: “Komen

made a rational, reasonable decision: implement a new community granting strategy that would drive better

health outcomes for women—and in doing so, move to neutral ground in the culture wars by severing ties with

Planned Parenthood.”67 Handel explained that Planned Parenthood received less than 1% of Komen’s entire grant

portfolio, making it a minor grantee; similarly Komen deemed the grant amount “inconsequential” to Planned

Parenthood’s work, given Planned Parenthood’s nearly $1 billion budget.68

The next day, Mollie Williams, the Managing Director of Community Health who oversaw Komen’s nearly

$100 million community grant program, resigned.69 Though she refused to comment specifically on the matter, she

later released a statement that read, in part:

The divide between these two very important organizations saddens me. I am hopeful

their passionate and courageous leaders, Nancy Brinker and Cecile Richards, can swiftly

resolve this conflict in a manner that benefits the women they both serve.70

On December 6, 2011, Komen affiliates that were managing local Planned Parenthood grants were told of the

decision. Handel described their response as a “mix of relief and anger.”71 While some affiliates were “comforted

to know that this difficult, time-consuming issue would finally be off their plate . . .others objected vehemently in

what seemed like an overly emotional response more in support of Planned Parenthood than Komen,” said

64 “Planned Parenthood and the Web,” Personal Democracy Media, March 29, 2012,

http://personaldemocracy.com/media/planned-parenthood-and-web-how-adapting-networked-age-works-practice/transcript, accessed November 15, 2012. 65

Washington Post Staff, “Timeline of Key Events in Komen Controversy,” The Washington Post, February 7, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-key-events-in-komen- controversy/2012/02/07/gIQAX4EWxQ_story.html, accessed November 15, 2012. 66