Planned Parenthood Gets $250,000 Donation from Mayor Bloomberg Updated February 2, 2012 5:54pm

Mayor Michael Bloomberg presents his preliminary budget for the 2013 fiscal year at City Hall. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

MANHATTAN — Amid the Susan G. Komen for a Cure Foundation's controversial decision to pull funding from a Planned Parenthood breast cancer screening program, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday he would step in. 

The mayor pledged to donate up to $250,000 in matching funds to Planned Parenthood after Komen yanked its grants worth $700,000 to the nonprofit health care provider. Many blamed Komen's board with caving to political pressure over abortion to stop donations to Planned Parenthood.

“Politics have no place in health care,” Bloomberg said in a statement.  “We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way.”

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards praised the mayor's gift.

“This contribution will help ensure that politics don’t interfere with women having access to health care,” she said in a statement, adding that many people have stepped forward in the last 48 hours with donations.

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By Serena Solomon, DNAinfo.com

Follow Serena on Twitter @serenaspeaks