Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen says she was removed after 'secret meeting'

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Leana Wen says she's been removed from her role.

Wen said in a Twitter post Tuesday that the Planned Parenthood board decided to terminate her at a "secret meeting."

"I am leaving because the new board chairs and I have philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood," Wen said in a statement posted to her Twitter account. "It has been an honor and privilege to serve alongside our dedicated doctors, nurses, clinicians, staff and volunteers who are on the front lines of healthcare in our country."

Planned Parenthood didn't specify why Wen was removed after less than a year as president.

The organization announced Tuesday that it would be replacing Wen with Alexis McGill Johnson, a former chair and board member for Planned Parenthood. 

Wen was appointed president of Planned Parenthood in November 2018. She was the first physician to lead Planned Parenthood in nearly 50 years.

She previously served as health commissioner for the city of Baltimore where she led a fight against the opioid epidemic and worked to improve maternal and child health.

“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 joint statement Tuesday.

Planned Parenthood is in the middle of several legal battles with states that have passed laws to restrict abortion. Several states passed anti-abortion laws that ban the procedure at six weeks or when a "fetal heartbeat" is detected. Republican lawmakers are passing abortion bans with hopes that a legal challenge will escalate to the Supreme Court and overturn Roe v. Wade.

Planned Parenthood is also in an ongoing legal battle with Missouri health officials who denied a license renewal for the last remaining abortion clinic in St. Louis last month.

Cunningham and Rosenthal said Johnson, the acting president, was "a renowned social justice leader, lifelong political organizer, and a tireless advocate for reproductive rights.”

The organization said it will begin its search for a new president early next year.

Wen said she was engaged in "good faith" negotiations with the board about her departure.