(Image Source: Roll Call)  

BY VICTORIA CRAIG

Susan G. Komen’s vice president has resigned after a week under fire. Fox News explains the reason behind Karen Handel’s decision.

“There was a big dispute that happened over funding for Planned Parenthood. The Komen Foundation which is the nation’s largest breast cancer fundraising arm, basically said they were going to pull money from Planned Parenthood and it was met with a ton of controversy.”

Last week, the foundation explained its decision to exclude Planned Parenthood from future grants for breast cancer screenings because it’s the subject of a U.S. House probe. However, after major public outcry, the foundation reversed its decision. The National Journal says Handel’s involvement in the funding dispute is tied to her political beliefs.

“Handel was appointed to Komen last April, and she was quick to point out her strong Republican credentials. She had the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a failed 2010 bid to become the first female governor of Georgia, one that was spiced up by debates and negative advertising over Handel’s position on abortion rights.”

In her letter, Handel admitted she did play a role in pulling funding from Planned Parenthood. As the Atlantic reports, her resignation is likely to draw more media scrutiny in the coming days.

“Handel’s admission is a new revelation in this ongoing story, and will likely re-ignite debates over whether or not this was a political decision. Last week, Susan G. Komen CEO Nancy Brinker denied that was the case, and Handel ... has kept quiet until now.”

Now, the Komen Foundation is doing damage control. One Huffington Post politics reporter tells CNN, Handel’s resignation is Komen’s first step toward winning back former supporters.

“Then they need to apologize again and come clean about exactly what happened. And going forward they need to have more transparency in the decisions that they’re making about who gets funded and who doesn’t.”

But while the Komen Foundation plays defense, all the controversy might have actually worked in Planned Parenthood’s favor. MSNBC explains why.

“Planned Parenthood on the other hand, raised more than three million dollars last week for breast cancer screenings as a direct result of the shutdown...”

In her resignation letter, Handel stood by the foundation’s original decision to withhold funding and said she was “deeply disappointed by the gross mis-characterizations of the strategy, it’s rationale, and [her] involvement” — saying the decision was not based on political beliefs or ideology.