After three days of controversy surrounding the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity’s decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood, Komen announced today they are reversing the decision.

“We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives,” a Komen statement said.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the charity had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from grants due to it being under government investigation – a fishing expedition launched in Congress at the urging of anti-abortion groups.

After three days of virulent criticism flooding the Internet and jeopardizing Komen’s iconic image, the charity said it would change the criteria “to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political.”

“We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants,” the statement said.

Many of Komen’s affiliates openly rebelled against the decision to cut the funding, which totaled $680,000 in 2011. Additionally, Komen was flooded with negative comments via emails, Twitter and Facebook – many of the messages indicating that donations to Komen will cease due to the decision.

The Komen decision triggered an outpouring of support for Planned Parenthood, who reported incoming donations surpassing $3 million since the story broke. Planned Parenthood has pledged to use the funds to maintain and expand its breast health services.

On Thursday, Komen held a news conference in response to the erupted controversy, and denied that its decision was driven by pressure from anti-abortion groups.

“We don’t base our funding decisions … on whether one side or the other will be pleased,” said Komen’s founder and CEO, Nancy Brinker.

While initially Komen had based the decision to bar grants to organizations under investigation, Brinker insisted that additional factors, such as changes in the types of breast-health providers it wanted to support, were involved.

A source at Komen’s headquarters in Dallas with direct knowledge of decision-making gave a different account. The source said the new policies were established with the intention of deliberately targeting Planned Parenthood. According to the source, who wished to remain anonymity for fear of repercussions, a driving force behind the move was Karen Handel. Handel was hired as vice president for public policy by Komen last year after losing a campaign for governor in Georgia in which she stressed her anti-abortion views and frequently condemned Planned Parenthood.

In an interview with MSNBC, Brinker said Handel didn’t have a significant role in the policy change.

[ washingtontimes.com via The Associated Press ]

Founder Jean-Claude Mas, 72, of French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was arrested in his home last Thursday and charged with involuntary injury.

Mas’s company created an international health scare with thousands of women who have received the implants fearing their implants could leak. Speaking out for the first time since the scandal erupted in December, Mas acknowledged that he had used unapproved silicone for the 300,000+ implants sold around the world, yet scoffed at the idea that it posed a health risk.

PIP closed down in March 2010 after health officials discovered the company using a non-medical grade silicone in the implants. A worldwide panic started last month when the French government advised women with the implants to have them removed due to possibilities of rupture and leakage into the body.

Though the implants were pulled from the market in several countries, European governments have taken different positions regarding the health risk. German, Czech and French authorities say the implants should be removed, while Britain says there is not enough evidence to suggest that the implants be taken out in all cases.

According to estimates, more than 42,000 women in Britain received the implants, over 30,000 in France, 9,000 in Australia, 4,000 in Italy, and nearly 25,000 were sold in Brazil.

The implants are not approved for use in the United States.

[ From: thesun.co.uk ]

A San Francisco-based surgeon released an infographic last week based on research revealing that 4.93% of women in the United States have undergone breast augmentation surgery, most surgeries occur on the West coast, and enough implants have been created since 1997 to fill the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. And that is just in the United States!

It’s not surprising that breast augmentation has become one of the top cosmetic surgery procedures for over a decade, but what’s interesting is that the procedure growth rate has been virtually recession proof for the past 20 years.

“There’s a reason that breast augmentation has been the number one cosmetic surgery—not just here in the U.S., but worldwide—for so long now,” said Dr. Brown. “As the high rate of patient satisfaction shows, this is a procedure that works. I hope this infographic serves as a helpful reference going forward, not only for other plastic surgeons, but for patients as well.”

[ From: drdonaldbrown.com ]

The New Jersey Legislature has voted to repeal a 6% tax on cosmetic procedures conducted in the state, citing the cost and burden of collecting and administering the tax. The tax will be gradually phased out and should be completely rescinded by July 2013.

[ NJ.Com ]

Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) has petitioned the National Health Service in Sweden to cover the cost of breast implants for transgendered women. Currently, some patients undergo hormone therapy but are then denied implants.

In support of their position they cite statistics from the board which show that transgendered women who are denied implants are much more likely to commit suicide. The difference is staggering – in the overall population of Sweden, the suicide rate is about 1.6%; for transgendered women denied implants, it is 30-40%.

[ truthdive ]