Leana Wen, the former President of Planned Parenthood, was abruptly and surprisingly terminated by the abortion provider.
“I just learned that the @PPFA Board ended my employment at a secret meeting,” Wen tweeted on Tuesday. “We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood. My statement to come shortly.”
I just learned that the @PPFA Board ended my employment at a secret meeting. We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood. My statement to come shortly.
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) July 16, 2019
Wen’s departure comes as Planned Parenthood looks for more aggressive leadership on the abortion issue, as the New York Times reports:
...[F]our people familiar with the matter said the group’s board of directors felt it needed a more aggressive political leader to combat the current efforts to roll back access to abortions.
Wen also “refused to use 'trans-inclusive' language,” according to BuzzFeed's Ema O’Connor. Wen believed the issue would drive away Midwestern support for the organization, which could have furthered her philosophical divide with Planned Parenthood’s board.
UPDATE: Two sources told us that Wen also refused to use “trans-inclusive” language, for example saying “people” instead of “women,” telling staff that she believed talking about transgender issues would “isolate people in the Midwest.” https://t.co/Db2ooboz4o
— Ema O'Connor (@o_ema) July 16, 2019
Planned Parenthood was quick to replace Wen, as The Daily Wire reports:
The new acting president was unanimously chosen by Planned Parenthood’s board on Tuesday: Alexis McGill Johnson, the co-founder of the Perception Institute, who will also serve as chief executive of both Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Some are saying that Planned Parenthood’s reasoning for canning Wen only proves one thing: It is nothing more than an abortion organization using "women’s health" as a cover. As Johnson takes the Planned Parenthood mantle, only time will tell how much more aggressive the organization will become on the issue of abortion.
(Cover Photo: Flickr / Elvert Barnes)