Texans Lead Battle for Women's Health | Women Health Wizard

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which incited outrage and won accolades last week, first over its decision to halt financing for breast exams at Planned Parenthood clinics, then over its reversal, has its roots in Dallas. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America?s president is the Waco-born daughter of former Gov. Ann Richards. Two prominent and philanthropic Dallasites lead the organizations ? Nancy G. Brinker, the chief executive and founder of Komen, and Cecilia Guthrie Boone, the chairwoman of the Planned Parenthood board ? and two others, Amy and Lee Fikes, also of Dallas, pledged $250,000 to Planned Parenthood after Komen initially rescinded its support.?

But even before last week?s Komen vs. Planned Parenthood scuffle, Texas was ground zero for the nation?s abortion war. Last legislative session, lawmakers passed a mandatory abortion sonogram law, slashing state family-planning dollars for Planned Parenthood even though the money was not used at clinics offering abortions. And they are threatening not to accept federal women?s health financing in Texas unless they can exclude Planned Parenthood clinics.

Here is a look at the key Texas players in this latest reproductive health skirmish.

CECILE RICHARDS

Ms. Richards?s role as president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America keeps her in New York, but her Democratic roots and political history are grounded in Texas. She started her career organizing low-paid hotel and janitorial workers in Texas and other states. The first political campaign she worked on ??in junior high, alongside her campaign manager mother, the late Gov. Ann Richards ??was the State House race of Sarah Weddington, the Texas lawyer who successfully argued Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. In 2004, a decade after George W. Bush ousted her mother from the Governor?s Mansion, Ms. Richards founded America Votes, a coalition of Democratic interest groups that raised $250 million to try to knock President Bush out of the White House.

NANCY G. BRINKER

Ms. Brinker is best known for founding Susan G. Komen for the Cure ? and commercializing the color pink as a symbol of breast cancer awareness ? in 1982 in honor of her sister Susan, who died of the disease. But Ms. Brinker, a Texas transplant, also has extensive Republican political credentials. She and her former husband, Norman Brinker, the Dallas restaurateur who was considered the father of casual dining, were major donors to Republican candidates, including George W. Bush. When Mr. Bush was president, he appointed Ms. Brinker United States ambassador to Hungary, and later chief of protocol, a job in which she accompanied the president on official visits abroad and planned events for visiting heads of state. Ms. Brinker began her business career at Dallas?s flagship Neiman Marcus.?

CECILIA GUTHRIE BOONE

Ms. Boone, a Democrat and Dallas philanthropist, helped start the Container Store with her husband in 1978. She has been active with Planned Parenthood for more than 15 years ??first as chairwoman of Planned Parenthood of North Texas, then as a director on the organization?s national board, which she now leads. She is a past chairwoman of Annie?s List, a political action committee in Texas that recruits and finances Democratic female candidates. (She is a major donor to The Texas Tribune.)

LEE AND AMY FIKES

In the aftermath of Komen?s original decision to cut off financing for Planned Parenthood, Mr. Fikes, a Dallas oilman, and his wife, Amy, were the first to make a major gift to Planned Parenthood. They are?donors to Democratic causes and candidates, and their foundation pledged $250,000 to help the organization establish a Breast Health Emergency Fund for cancer screenings and care.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/us/texans-lead-battle-for-womens-health.html

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