The president of Planned Parenthood said she was ousted Tuesday following a “secret meeting” of the board.
Dr. Leana Wen was forced out after just eight months on the job.
“I just learned that the @PPFA Board ended my employment at a secret meeting,” Wen tweeted.
Wen later said in a statement that she and the board chairs had “philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood.”
“As a physician and public health leader, I came to Planned Parenthood to lead a national health care organization that provides essential primary and preventative care to millions of underserved women and families, and to advocate for a broad range of policies that affect our patients’ health,” the statement said.
“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,” the statement added.
Wen became the first physician to lead the organization when she took over as president in November 2018, after longtime head Cecile Richards stepped down.
“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,” Planned Parenthood board chairs Aimee Cunningham and Jennie Rosenthal said in a statement.
The organization said in a statement that Alexis McGill Johnson, who has been on the board for over a decade, will take over as acting president.
A search for a new president and CEO will start early next year, with a goal of having a new president in place by the end of the year, the organization said.