Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Leana Wen Ousted From Planned Parenthood As Organization Faces Ever-Increasing Political Threats
The New York Times: Planned Parenthood Ousts President, Seeking A More Political Approach
Planned Parenthood on Tuesday removed its president after less than a year in the job, seeking new leadership at a time when abortion rights have come under increasing attack from statehouses and Republicans in Washington. The sudden ouster reflected a widening disagreement between the president, Leana Wen, and the board of directors over her management style and which direction to steer one of the nation’s leading women’s reproductive rights groups. Her departure followed a series of negotiations that appeared to end acrimoniously on Tuesday. (Goldmacher, 7/16)
The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood President Forced Out After Only 8 Months
Wen, in a Twitter post, said she learned that Planned Parenthood's board "ended my employment at a secret meeting." She indicated the board wanted more emphasis on political advocacy, while she sought to prioritize Planned Parenthood's role as a provider of health care services ranging from birth control to cancer screenings. "We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood," Wen said. "I am stepping down sooner than I had hoped." (7/16)
The Wall Street Journal: President Of Planned Parenthood Is Ousted
In a statement, Dr. Wen said she had significant philosophical differences with the leaders of the organization’s board. “I believe that the best way to protect abortion care is to be clear that it is not a political issue but a health care one,” she said in the statement. (Hackman, 7/16)
Reuters: Head Of Planned Parenthood Groups Departs, Cites Differences Over Abortion
Dr. Leana Wen, the first physician in nearly 50 years to lead the federation and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said she took the job last September intending to advocate for a broad range of public health policies, not just abortion. The federation's board, however, decided to "double down" on making abortion rights a key priority as the group engages in legal and political battles after some states passed severe restrictions women's ability to terminate pregnancies, Wen said. (7/16)
Politico: Planned Parenthood Ousts Head Amid Heightened Attack On Abortion Rights
Planned Parenthood said in a statement it had named Alexis McGill Johnson acting president and CEO of both the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its political arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She had served on both boards and has long been involved with the organization. Planned Parenthood said it would start searching for a new permanent CEO next year. “Alexis is a renowned social justice leader, lifelong political organizer, and a tireless advocate for reproductive rights and access to quality, affordable health care,” Planned Parenthood board chair Aimee Cunningham and Action Fund chair Jennie Rosenthal said. (Kenen and Ollstein, 7/16)
Bustle: Who Will Be Planned Parenthood's New CEO? Alexis McGill Johnson Is Leading The Organization
"Having been part of the Planned Parenthood family for nearly a decade, and having spent my career working in movements for social justice, I can’t think of a greater honor or more weighty responsibility than leading an organization like Planned Parenthood in this moment," Johnson tweeted. (Darrough, 7/16)
Bloomberg: Planned Parenthood Ousts President After Less Than A Year
In its statement, the organization said would begin a search for a new leader early next year with hopes of naming a new president by year’s end. Planned Parenthood, which was co-founded in 1916 by the birth control advocate Margaret Sanger, offers a variety of preventive-health and family-planning services. The group has about 600 affiliated health-care centers used by more than 5 million people a year, according to its website. (Dillard, 7/16)
CBS News: Leana Wen, Planned Parenthood President, Removed From Position Today
Dr. Wen's short time at Planned Parenthood was tumultuous, said three sources familiar with the situation who cited leadership and management issues. Four senior leaders at Planned Parenthood, including the group's former Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, departed the organization during her tenure. To fill those roles, these sources said, Dr. Wen brought in former colleagues and friends despite internal objections. (Smith, 7/16)
BuzzFeed News: Planned Parenthood Has Ousted President Leana Wen Amid A Dispute Over The Organization's Direction
As senior political staffers began to depart the organization early this year, Planned Parenthood employees, board members, and supporters were quick to express concern that Wen planned to emphasize the group’s status as a health care provider, shifting away from the political focus Richards instilled during her 10 years as president. Wen "demonstrated a complete lack of leadership capability at a time when this organization requires an extraordinary leader,” a former senior staffer at Planned Parenthood said on Tuesday. “These are the times when people have to look out for what is best for the organization, and this was the best thing for the organization.” (O'Connor and Cramer, 7/16)
The Washington Post: Planned Parenthood Ousts Leader After Less Than A Year
The ouster occurred at one of the most difficult moments in the group’s history. The organization faces growing financial peril from a Trump administration rule that took effect Monday barring federally funded family planning clinics from providing referrals for abortions. It is also under attack by antiabortion lawmakers at the state and federal level and is threatened by the prospect that the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion could be overturned by the Supreme Court’s new conservative majority. (Bernstein, Cha and Goldstein, 7/16)
The Hill: Planned Parenthood Ousts Leana Wen As President
Wen’s departure comes as battles over abortion bans heat up at the state and federal levels. Alabama recently passed a de-facto ban on the procedure, which has not taken effect and is being challenged in court. Several other states have passed bans on the procedure after at about six weeks of pregnancy. (Hellmann and Klar, 7/16)
CNN: Planned Parenthood Ousts President After Less Than A Year On The Job
Wen's departure coincides with the Department of Health and Human Services telling Title X recipients that the new regulations prohibiting taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from discussing abortion with patients or offering abortion referrals are now in effect, despite several challenges to the proposed rules from abortion rights supporters currently working their way through the courts. (Feldscher and Kelly, 7/16)
The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood To Defy Trump Abortion Referral Rule
Federally funded family planning clinics, including Planned Parenthood, are defying the Trump administration's ban on referring women for abortions, drawing a line against what they say amounts to keeping patients in the dark about legitimate health care options. "We are not going to comply with a regulation that would require health care providers to not give full information to their patients," Jacqueline Ayers, the group's top lobbyist, said in an interview Tuesday. "We believe as a health care provider it is wrong to withhold health care information from patients." (7/16)
The Washington Post: Family Planning Groups Forgo Federal Money Over Abortion Referral Rule
Two family planning organizations announced Tuesday that they will stop accepting money from the government program that pays for reproductive health services, the first exodus after the Trump administration told health clinics that they can no longer receive the federal funds if they give patients referrals for abortions. The decisions, by Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood of Illinois, came less than 24 hours after the Department of Health and Human Services issued a notice late Monday that it was immediately enforcing the contentious new rule for the half-century-old family planning program. (Goldstein, 7/16)
The Hill: New Trump Rules Prompt Planned Parenthood To Forgo Federal Funds
Planned Parenthood will continue to offer services at hundreds of its sites across the country, saying it will draw on “emergency funds.” And by eschewing the federal funds, known as Title X, the group can still refer women for abortions. “While we are incredibly concerned by this harmful rule, our doors are still open,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement. The organization was joined by a family planning provider in Maine that said it also would go without federal funding. (Hellmann, 7/17)
