Navigating the Dual Identity of Planned Parenthood

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.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.