In an appearance on Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC Thursday, U.S. senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) criticized the Susan G. Komen foundation for cutting funding to the nonprofit organization Planned Parenthood, which is now the subject of a U.S. House investigation. Senator Boxer likened congressional Republicans investigating Planned Parenthood to Joseph McCarthy and compared the abortion-providing organization to the YMCA.
BARBARA BOXER: I’ve listened to everything (Komen CEO) Ambassador (Nancy) Brinker said and it is a complete revisionist comment that she is making to why Planned Parenthood is losing funding, which has served 170,000 women over the past 5 years, which has given them lifesaving screenings they deserve to have. If you go back a couple days ago, a Susan G. Komen spokesperson said the reason was an investigation in the House. Well can I say this? I wasn’t born yesterday, but I’m reminded of the McCarthy era where somebody said, "well I’m a congressman and I’m investigating this organization, therefore people should stop funding them." What are they going to do next, are they going attack the YMCA? This is so sad because it’s about women's health, and we do hope that they reconsider. But to change the story is not going to work. People know what they said and this means they wittingly or unwittingly put themselves in the middle of a political witchhunt that is very sad.