In the past 72 hours, the “absolutely not politically motivated” decision by the Susan G. Komen foundation to withdraw $680,000 in “future” grant money from Planned Parenthood has become a firestorm that literally threatens to eviscerate all the good work of over two decades of fundraising by the Komen Foundation to find a cure for breast cancer.

Now the group needs to find a cure for the incompetence of its leadership. And it needs to do so quickly, before most people only see red when they see the Komen Foundation’s pink ribbons.

Today’s defense of the foundation’s decision by Komen’s founder Ambassador Nancy Brinker was a textbook study of how not to handle a crisis. Blame your critics that their outrage and criticisms are, as she put it, “…a dangerous distraction from the work that still remains to be done in ridding the world of breast cancer”.

Seriously, that’s your answer?

Because going on national television and simply saying something like: “We made a mistake, and we’re absolutely going to continue giving money to Planned Parenthood to make sure as many women have access to cancer screenings and mammograms as possible” would have have been so much harder to do.

Ms. Brinker you can throw out all the assurances you want that this was not “a bow to political pressure” but that doesn’t pass the smell test for too many of us who have supported your organization. Including a guy who knows something about politics.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg understood what was happening enough to write his own check for $250,000 to Planned Parenthood and he had a great piece of wisdom for the leadership of the Komen foundation:

Politics have no place in health care. Breast cancer screening saves lives and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care.”

What’s almost funny now is that the Komen foundation asks for the same kind of support that Planned Parenthood might have asked for. While Ambassador Brinker said “The scurrilous accusations being hurled at this organization are profoundly hurtful to so many of us”, one could only wonder if those exact same words could be used by the head of Planned Parenthood–which is being openly persecuted by a number of state government and a Florida Congressman who unsuccessfully tried in 2011 to cut all federal funding to the organization.

When the stated goal of Congressman Cliff Stearns was– as he put it at the time–“This is when we are going to defund Planned Parenthood” didn’t quite work out, he began a congressional investigation into the organization that can trace its roots back to 1916. When contraception was as controversial and emotional as abortion is today.

But in that era, Margaret Sanger didn’t sniff about “scurrilous accusations” back in the day. Not about the problems she faced is trying to educate women about the issues of unwanted pregnancy and illegal abortions and not for the fact that contraception itself was illegal. Not even for the fact that she and every other American woman didn’t even have the right to vote.

Speaking of grants, did you know that it was a Planned Parenthood grant in 1948 that led to the development of the birth control pill. Ironic, huh? Funny how that grant money wasn’t tied up by any new policy decision about “not giving grants to any organization under investigation.”

For its’ part, the Komen Foundation and its founder are now stating that the change in giving grants to Planned Parenthood wasn’t even going into effect for some time. Apparently the problem, according to Brinker, is really the “gross mischaracterization” about the Foundation’s decision to change its position on giving grants to Planned Parenthood, but that wasn’t to take place for “at least for another year.”

I have a boss who has a simple instruction that he offers up in the midst of a problem like this: “Fix it.”

I’ll add to that one word… “Fix it now.”

I try to keep my political views here to a minimum. Not because I don’t have any, but rather because they usually would get in the way of trying to be impartial and fair in my day job.

I seriously believe that everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I would defend that right with my last breath. Different opinions and the right to express them, are a fundamental premise of the freedoms that make this country a great one.

That said, I would like to point out that my mother is a breast cancer survivor. My sister and my wife have participated in the “Race for the Cure”. I have donated to breast cancer research via the Susan G. Komen foundation. I believe in the fight to find a cure to save all women from the fear of this terrible disease.

So it is with no small difficulty that I now have to reject the Komen foundation itself, because I believe they are playing politics with their decision this week to pull their support for another essential organization for women (and men for that matter) – Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood is under attack in this nation. Because among its many services, it provides access to contraception and pregnancy termination procedures, the latter falling under the political maelstrom known as “the abortion debate”. As I said before, I recognize that everyone is entitled to an opinion. Many people oppose the proactive ending of a pregnancy on moral or religious grounds. Their right to oppose the Roe Vs. Wade decision is something I believe in.

But a quick reminder here that the question of whether or not abortion is a legal medical procedure that can be made freely available to women in this country was settled by The United States Supreme Court in 1973. Nearly 40 years ago, folks. It is the law of the land. But those who oppose it being so, have waged whatever offensive they can to limit, curtail, and stop this legal medical procedure by almost any means necessary.

Including going after Planned Parenthood.

A certain congressman from Florida has launched a congressional investigation to determine if any Federal money has been used by Planned Parenthood to provide abortions to women. The organization is prohibited from doing do by another bit of lawmaking, the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which specifies that no federal funds (i.e., taxpayer money) can go to providing abortions.

Because Planned Parenthood also provides a whole host of other health services to women including breast cancer screenings and counseling, those services can be funded by Federal and other grants–which Planned Parenthood got to the tune of less than a million dollars in the past year from the Komen foundation. This move by the Komen foundation is reportedly due to a new internal rule for the foundation which says it will not support any other group that is being investigated by authorities at any level.

So because one congressman has launched an investigation that may or may not prove any wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood, the Komen foundation has stopped giving financial support to Planned Parenthood.

In my opinion, this move is one of utter cowardice by the Komen foundation, and there are too many factors that point to this decision being influenced by those who believe that abortions should be made illegal to women in this country.

I therefore believe that there are other worthy organizations that are raising money for breast cancer research…and they will now receive my support. As will Planned Parenthood, for providing a range of healthcare services that my two daughters–or any of the women I know and love–may need one day.

Completely legal and essential services, not just in my opinion mind you–but as determined and protected by the law of the land.