Planned Parenthood president terminated after 8 months

“We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood,” she said.

Wen said in a statement that she had taken on the role at Planned Parenthood to advocate for a “broad range of policies that affect our patients’ health.” The statement she provided suggested that Planned Parenthood preferred to frame abortion as a political issue rather than a healthcare issue.

“I believe that the best way to protect abortion care is to be clear that it is not a political issue but a healthcare one, and that we can expand support for reproductive rights by finding common ground with the large majority of Americans who understand reproductive healthcare as the fundamental healthcare that it is,” she said.

A spokesperson for Wen said she had been making making “big changes,” noting she brought on new staff that “aligned with her vision and who had public health expertise” and acknowledged the decisions weren’t always popular.

“The organization hired her to realign the organization,” the spokesperson said. “This should not have been a surprise to them as this is the direction she described to the board before they unanimously chose her… Change in a complex organization like this is hard. The board knew that and should have stood by her as she implemented that vision.”

Wen’s departure comes at a pivotal time for abortion rights and as Planned Parenthood faces pressure from the Trump administration. On Monday the administration announced that it would enforce rules blocking certain clinics that receive government family planning dollars from directly referring patients to abortion.

The move, which affects the Title X grants, took direct aim at Planned Parenthood and was carried out despite ongoing litigation on the matter. It could cost Planned Parenthood as much as $60 million a year.

Planned Parenthood has raised the alarm about abortion rights under the Trump administration, while anti-abortion advocates have celebrated the president’s commitments to their cause. Two conservative justices have been confirmed by the Senate since President Trump took office, and it’s not clear how they’ll rule on abortion rights. Advocates on both sides of the debate are watching to see whether the justices will weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Planned Parenthood did not elaborate on their decision to remove Wen as president. Wen had also been president of the organization’s political arm, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

“We thank Dr. Leana Wen for her service to Planned Parenthood in such a pivotal time and extend our best wishes for her continued success,” PPAF board chairs Aimee Cunningham and Jennie Rosenthal said in a statement.

Wen’s predecessor, Cecile Richards, was with the organization for 12 years as it became more politically active.

Wen was the first physician to lead Planned Parenthood in five decades, and came to the role after serving as Baltimore’s health commissioner. She started the job on Nov. 12, 2018. During her time at Planned Parenthood she spoke out forcefully against state abortion bans and oversaw a forum with 2020 Democratic presidential candidates in June to highlight the party’s support for abortion.

During her tenure, the organization also was accused of mistreating pregnant employees, and faced anti-abortion and Republican attacks highlighting abortions that occur late in pregnancy.

Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion organization that is influential with the Trump administration, framed the ouster as “a sign of pro-life momentum.”

“Abortion is not healthcare and dressing it up in a white coat has not fooled the American people, so they fall back on the mainstay of their political machine,” SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser, said in a statement.

Alexis McGill Johnson, a board member at Planned Parenthood, was named acting president, effective immediately. The organization said the search for a new president and CEO would begin in 2020.

Planned Parenthood has more than 600 facilities across the country, and it is the largest provider of abortions in the U.S.