The Fight Over Planned Parenthood’s Future
Dr. Leana Wen, the first physician to lead Planned Parenthood in decades, was ousted after just eight months on the job. Her departure highlights a central tension over the direction of the group: Is it a political organization first, or a health organization? Guest: Sarah Kliff, an investigative reporter for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: As states began to pass ever more restrictive laws on abortion, Planned Parenthood’s leaders felt they needed a more aggressive political leader to fight efforts to roll back abortion access.“I was asked to leave for the same reason I was hired: I was changing the direction of Planned Parenthood,” Dr. Wen wrote in an Op-Ed for The Times.