As expected by TBogg yesterday, Karen Handel, the anti-abortion activist who wound up as a Vice President for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, has resigned from the organization. She leaves behind an angry resignation letter and a discredited organization.

There’s actually a little more confusion than initially reported about Susan G. Komen’s actual commitment to restoring Planned Parenthood funds. They certainly wanted everyone to think that they were changing their policy. Upon closer inspection of their statement, however, they may be trying to take credit for a change in policy without actually doing so.

Well, that was pointless. After shifting rationales, unreliable claims of bravado and the resignation of top staffers, the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure has reversed its decision to de-fund Planned Parenthood, reinstating its donation to support breast cancer screenings at the organization’s clinics.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure denied funding for breast cancer screenings to Planned Parenthood today in an anti-abortion frenzy designed to hurt the women’s health provider. The effect was a glancing blow. In the past 24 hours, 6,000 donors have delivered $400,000 to Planned Parenthood, almost half of the annual donation from Susan G. Komen, on whom a ton of criticism is about to fall.

When the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity dropped its support for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, they did enormous damage to themselves just to appease conservatives. They’ve just set in motion a backlash that will hurt a lot.

Lisa Derrick recalls the extraordinary women who started the Bohemian Women’s Political Alliance — initially “to write letters and register voters and get active” — and follows their many amazing accomplishments over the years.

Using some of the strongest language I’ve ever seen from this group, Health Care for America Now basically charged WellPoint with murder today, responding to the Murray Waas article showing that the insurance giant systematically dropped breast cancer patients from the rolls.

The fact that the health care bill was written by WellPoint for the benefit of Wellpoint is bad enough. The fact that Max Baucus celebrates this is worse. And the fact that WellPoint jammed the bill through with the help of Evan Bayh, who is adding to his personal fortune at the expense of breast cancer patients, is absolutely despicable.

Considering the role of the HHS Secretary in setting which procedures will be covered under the minimum benefits package, and possibly what will be exempt from cost sharing, it’s notable that she is distancing herself so swiftly from the recommendations.

It was inevitable that the news of the US Preventive Services Task Force changing their guidelines on mammography would cause a political uproar. In a year where Congress is not trying to do comprehensive health care reform, the findings would be controversial. In this year, especially because of the role of the USPSTF in at least the House health care bill, it’s even more so.