Mayor Bloomberg rode to the rescue of Planned Parenthood yesterday, pledging up to $250,000 for the organization after the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer foundation yanked funding for screenings.
“Politics have no place in health care,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
“Breast-cancer screening saves lives and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care,” he said.
“We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way,” he added.
But Bloomberg refused to say whether he would cut his own ties with Komen.
The billionaire mayor announced he would match every dollar donated for screenings up to $250,000.
Komen this week said it would not renew $700,000 in grants to Planned Parenthood because of a congressional inquiry into the group, although critics charged that Komen was buckling in the face of heat from the anti-abortion movement.
Bloomberg himself has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Komen over the years and participated in its events.
Hizzoner’s spokesman said Bloomberg, who released his preliminary budget yesterday, has not had a chance to decide whether he would terminate his connection to the foundation.
“He hasn’t focused on it,” spokesman Stu Loeser said. “He hasn’t really sat down to think about it yet.”