After just 8 months, the head of Planned Parenthood is out

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Planned Parenthood has removed Leana Wen as president of the organization, after only eight months on the job.
Her removal comes amid polarizing abortion debates playing out across the country.
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The president of Planned Parenthood is out after less than a year on the job, amid a polarizing debate over abortion rights playing out across the country.

The news follows an emergency board meeting held on Tuesday, in which Leana Wen was removed from her position. In an initial tweet, Wen wrote "I just learned that the @PPFA Board ended my employment at a secret meeting. We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood."

She later released her official statement on Twitter. "I am leaving because the new Board Chairs and I have philosophical differences over the direction and future of Planned Parenthood," Wen wrote. "I will always stand with Planned Parenthood, as I continue my life’s work and mission of caring for and fighting for women, families, and communities."

Wen took on the position last November, following the departure of the organization’s longtime president Cecile Richards. Before that, she served as Baltimore’s health commissioner for four years.

This is a developing story

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