KMOX in St. Louis is reporting that registration for this Saturday's race, the first to be held since Komen's decision to continue funding Planned Parenthood, dropped from a high of 71,000 to just 44,000 this year.
The dramatic drop is a clear indication that damage has been done to Komen's reputation after the fiasco in January in which the organization decided to withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood, then caved a few days later to political pressure and reversed the decision.
The fact that many former supporters are still angry over the affair is evident in the number of participants in races taking place this spring across the country. According to National Public Radio, the Washington DC race was down 30 percent this year. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina race was down 40 percent and participation in Tucson's race dropped 25 percent. An upcoming race in Seattle is expected to be down by a third.
Komen is considered to be a global leader in the movement to end breast cancer, but it's struggling to hold onto its once sterling reputation.
“No matter what is happening in the outside world we stay concentrated on our mission,” said Helen Chesnut, executive director of the St. Louis affiliate, to KMOX. “The only losers in any kind of controversy are usually those who need the help the most, and that’s the reason why we can’t be distracted.”
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