Less than two years after Planned Parenthood hired its first medical doctor as president in 50 years to attempt to portray it as a “healthcare” organization, the group has named a “social and racial justice” activist as its permanent CEO.
Dr. Leana Wen was Planned Parenthood’s president for less than a year. Though the abortion vendor touted Wen as the Chinese immigrant physician who would demonstrate the organization and its number one service — abortion — was all about health care, Wen was dumped less than a year into her presidency.
The organization then hired political activist Alexis McGill Johnson as its acting CEO and, on Friday, solidified that appointment by making her role permanent.
“There is no one better to lead us as we work to address the systemic racism that stands in the way of true reproductive freedom than a renowned social and racial justice leader, lifelong political organizer, and a tireless advocate for reproductive rights,” Planned Parenthood tweeted.
“In less than a year as acting president and CEO, after a decade in both organizations leadership, Alexis has undertaken the deep work of building trust within PP and with our many partners in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movements and beyond,” the group added.
Planned Parenthood Board Chair Aimee Cunningham and Action Fund Board Chair Jennie Rosenthal described Johnson in a joint statement as “a catalyst for social change and a warrior for justice and equity.”
“As a proven trailblazer for reproductive rights and social change, Alexis is the right leader to take us into the next chapter of our history as we fight to create a world where every person is free to control their own body, destiny, and life,” the two chairs added.
The announcement of Johnson’s permanent role comes as black preachers are calling attention to Planned Parenthood’s historical roots in eugenics.
Last week, inside the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle, street preacher Edmee Chavannes shouted to protesters calling to defund police that it is Planned Parenthood, and not the police, that is the number one killer of the black community.
“Why don’t I see my brothers and my sisters outside Planned Parenthood?” Chavannes shouted at the BLM protesters. “The number one killer of the black population is Planned Parenthood!”
“Where you all at?” she shouted. “We need you there!”
Pastor Johnny Hunter, national director of black evangelical pro-life ministry Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN), also warned recently in a sermon that if people of color “look the other way” when it comes to abortion, “while our smallest brothers and sisters are being lynched in the womb, we lose the right to be outraged that we were once lynched by the Klan.”
Pro-life leaders were not surprised at Planned Parenthood’s choice of Johnson to lead its organization.
Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said in a statement:
Planned Parenthood likes to pretend it is a healthcare provider that just happens to do abortion, but today’s announcement makes clear that abortion is front and center of everything they do. The short tenure and public dismissal of its former CEO, a medical doctor, was already an indication that the nation’s number one abortion seller is a political organization whose only goal is to ensure that no child gets left behind in the womb.
Similarly, Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins said, “Instead of hiring a physician or anyone with medical management experience, Planned Parenthood, which likes to tout itself as some kind of ‘healthcare’ organization, just appointed another political activist to lead its organization.”
“That should make it clear what they are really about,” she added.
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