Fewer walkers in D.C. at Komen event

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WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- The annual Race for the Cure breast cancer walk in Washington was down by 12,000 participants this year, organizers said Saturday

The Washington Post said participation in the Susan G. Komen event was about one-third smaller than normal due to the recent controversy over the non-profit organization's decision to withhold funding from Planned Parenthood.

"Clearly we are seeing that some people may still be staying away because of this issue we had earlier this year," Komen spokeswoman Andrea Rader told the Post. "We really hope people won't look at 30 years of good work and let that be harmed by a few weeks of controversy."

The Komen Foundation backed away from Planned Parenthood amid pressure from members of Congress who alleged Planned Parenthood was spending public funding meant for women's health programs on abortions.

The Hill said that although Komen reversed its decision, the controversy apparently continued to the point that Saturday's walk was down to about 25,000 participants from 37,000 last year.