After less than a year at the helm of Planned Parenthood Federation for America, President Leana Wen has been abruptly ousted by the organization’s board of directors. She was the first doctor in over half a century to head the organization. Wen’s departure highlights mounting disagreements within the pro-abortion movement about how to frame the abortion debate that has raged for decades in America.
In a tweet, Wen stated that the board ended her employment due to "philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood." She elaborated further in a message to her former colleagues. She had joined Planned Parenthood “to run a national health care organization and to advocate for the broad range of public health policies that affect our patients’ health,” including abortion. However, she wrote, for the board, "the priority of Planned Parenthood moving forward is to double down on abortion rights advocacy."
Other media reports indicate that Wen’s management style and "refusal to use ‘trans-inclusive’ language" also contributed to growing tension surrounding her leadership.
To be clear, Dr. Wen is no “moderate” when it comes to abortion. There is precisely nothing moderate about her support for abortion for any reason at any time during pregnancy (a view shared by only a small minority of Americans).
But Wen maintains that "the best way to protect abortion care is to be clear that it is not a political issue but a health care one." Many pro-abortion activists (and, evidently, the Planned Parenthood board) disagree. They believe that the focus should be political.
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05.10.2025