Scheidler, of the Pro-Life Action League, sent out emails and social media messages Friday aimed at "tens of thousands" of abortion foes, urging them to withhold donations to Komen. Days earlier, when the original decision was reported, he'd urged people to donate to Komen.
Renee Wiesner, a mother of nine who opposes abortion, said she had been encouraged by Komen's original decision.
"I had known about the grants, and that's why I had avoided supporting Komen in the past," said Wiesner, of Aurora, Ill. Now, she said, she will wait for the furor to die down before deciding where to contribute.
She said she suspected the reversal was simply a PR move by Komen: "They need to keep a good public image if they want to be as successful as they've been."
Not everyone was beating up on Komen. "They made a bad call, but they rethought their position," said Katie Ferdinand, 46, of Basking Ridge, N.J. "I'd consider supporting them going forward."
Before the reversal, Ferdinand had gone on Facebook and urged friends to join her in contributing to Planned Parenthood. The organization said it received $3 million between Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, funds it said would be used to expand its breast health services, which now provide nearly 750,000 breast exams each year.
That made Planned Parenthood supporter Cindy Froggatt happy. "I am grateful to Komen for the unintended consequence of their misguided decision," said Froggatt, of Philadelphia. She especially admired the actions of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who himself made a $250,000 gift.
The controversy was rawest, it seemed, for breast cancer survivors, especially those, like Joyce Miller, who'd donated many hours of time to Komen. After her first breast cancer treatment, Miller spent an hour a day manning Komen's phone lines, for nearly two years.
"I do not forgive them," the 70-year-old Dallas woman said Friday, after the reversal. She said she was also thinking of her daughter, Twinney, the Michigan woman, who spent years on the breast cancer walks. "Those bloody feet," Miller said. "The aching back!"
As for Twinney, she didn't try to hold back the tears as she spoke of the years of fundraising, which included bartending stints to get cash together, and the three-day walks, buoyed by supporters including her two sons, who even agreed to dress in pink.
"Those weekends, on those walks, were some of the most special times of my life, next to the birth of my children," she said. "You met the best people in the world. This organization began for such a special reason. And I am just so disappointed right now."
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Associated Press writers Carla K. Johnson in Chicago and Justin V. Juozapavicius in Tulsa, Okla., contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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