Donations are pouring in for Planned Parenthood in the wake of Tuesday's announcement that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has pulled its funding for the organization. Among the donations: a $250,000 matching gift by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to help offset the loss of funding from the Komen Foundation.

"Politics have no place in health care," Bloomberg said in a written statement. "Breast cancer screening saves lives, and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way."

Bloomberg is not the only one opening his wallet for Planned Parenthood. According to CNN: "Bloomberg's gift comes on top of the $400,000 that Planned Parenthood reported raising online from 6,000 donors the first 24 hours after the announcement."

The controversy started on Tuesday when Planned Parenthood announced that the Komen Foundation- the nation's largest breast cancer charity- had "succumbed to political pressure" amid increased congressional scrutiny over Planned Parenthood providing abortion services though the Komen Foundation's funds were meant for breast cancer screenings.

The Komen Foundation later denied that the decision was politically motivated, saying it could no longer fund Planned Parenthood because of a "new granting strategy" that enforces "more stringent eligibility standards" for its grantees. The result, according to the Komen Foundation, was that Planned Parenthood would no longer be eligible for funding.

“While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a longstanding partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission," a statement from the organization said.

However, according to The Atlantic, "the rule was adopted in order to create an excuse to cut off Planned Parenthood. (Komen gives out grants to roughly 2,000 organizations, and the new 'no investigations' rule applies to only one so far.) The decision to create a rule that would cut funding to Planned Parenthood, according to these sources, was driven by the organization's new senior vice president for public policy, Karen Handel, a former gubernatorial candidate from Georgia who is staunchly anti-abortion and who has said that since she is "'pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood.'"

On Thursday, top officials resigned from the Komen Foundation as backlash against the organization gained momentum. Among them were Mollie Williams, Komen's top public health official, and Deb Anthony, the executive director of Komen's Los Angeles County chapter. Both resigned to protest the Komen Foundation's decision.

The decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, however, is hardly the first controversy the charity organization has been embroiled in.

Among the controversies, The Washington Post reported:

• "Komen indulges in 'pinkwashing, or using breast cancer and the ubiquitous pink ribbon to promote unhealthy corporate products." (like KFC Fried Chicken)
• "aggressively trying to protect the phrase 'for the cure,' as well as the usage of the pink ribbon." (The charity has sued other non-profits in the past for using either one.)
• the idea that “'the organization cares more about shoring up their image than making real progress in the fight for women's health.'”

Another controversy was the charity's dismissal of the link between the common chemical BPA and breast cancer, even as it was funding research which explored the possible connection between the two, and despite the fact that there is already mounting evidence suggesting a link between BPA and cancer.

As Mother Jones reported back in October: "BPA is found in all manner of consumer goods, from plastic water jugs to receipts to the liners of food cans. Critics have pointed out that Komen receives generous donations from private industries that use those same chemicals in their products and also downplay the health concerns. Is that what's driving Komen's position on BPA? "Absolutely not," said Katrina McGhee, Komen's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. In multiple interviews with Mother Jones, Komen executives were adamant that their sponsors have no effect on any of their policy decisions."

Providing abortion services has been a major controversy politically for Planned Parenthood. But, as has been previously noted, it makes up a very small portion of the services the organization provides. Planned Parenthood serves roughly 2.5 million women every year, many of whom are uninsured or underage. According to 2009 figures, 3 percent of their total services were abortion-related and 16 percent were for cancer screenings.

The majority of Planned Parenthood services, according to the chart below, are to provide contraceptives and test for sexually transmitted diseases. About three-quarters of those who use Planned Parenthood services live on a family income of $33,000.

Here's a breakdown of Planned Parenthood's services:

 

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