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Thursday 13 sepTember 2018
Planned Parenthood picks Chinese-born doctor as new leader
By DAVID CRARY 8th birthday, were granted
NEW YORK (AP) — A Chi- political asylum in the U.S.
nese immigrant who fled and became U.S. citizens
her native country when in 2003. Wen graduated
she was 8 was named summa cum laude from
Wednesday as Planned California State University,
Parenthood's new presi- Los Angeles and earned
dent, the first doctor to hold her medical degree from
the post in five decades. Washington University
Dr. Leana Wen will assume School of Medicine before
the role Nov. 12, six days becoming a Rhodes Schol-
after midterm elections ar. Early in her tenure as
in which Planned Parent- Baltimore's health commis-
hood's political wing plans sioner, she provided strong
to spend $20 million on leadership as the city was
behalf of candidates who wracked by violent protests
support abortion rights. related to disputed police
Wen, who has been Bal- actions. She expanded
timore's health commis- trauma and mental health
sioner for since 2014, will be services, and secured fund-
Planned Parenthood's sixth ing for a program designed
president over a century of to treat gun violence as a
work providing millions of contagious disease.
Americans with birth con- In this Aug. 14, 2012 file photo, Dr. Leana Wen stands in the emergency department at Brigham Wen said she was proud
trol, sex education and and Women's Hospital in Boston, during her medical residency. of her accomplishments in
medical screenings. Associated Press Baltimore — including re-
ducing infant mortality to
The organization also is the record lows and providing
largest provider of abor- eyeglasses for all children
tions in the U.S., making it who needed them. But she
a perennial target for anti- said she could not resist the
abortion activists. In recent new job offer.
years, its foes have been "For more than 100 years,
striving — thus far unsuc- no organization has done
cessfully — to halt the flow more for women's health
of federal funds that help than Planned Parenthood,"
Planned Parenthood pro- Wen said. "As a doctor, I
vide some of its non-abor- will ensure we continue
tion services. to provide high-quality
Wen succeeds Cecile Rich- health care, including the
ards, who had been presi- full range of reproductive
dent since 2006 before re- care and will fight with ev-
signing earlier this year. erything I have to protect
Under Richards' leadership, the access of millions of pa-
Planned Parenthood has tients who rely on Planned
been at odds with con- Parenthood."
gressional Republicans and Rep. Elijah Cummings, a
President Donald Trump on Democratic congressman
numerous fronts, most re- from Baltimore, praised
cently joining the intense the appointment, saying
opposition to Trump's Su- of Wen, "When it comes to
preme Court nominee, protecting her patients, she
Brett Kavanaugh. Abortion- doesn't back down from a
rights advocates fear that fight."
Kavanaugh will tilt the high With Wen's encourage-
court to the right, possibly ment, Baltimore sued the
opening the way for rul- Trump administration for
ings that would reverse or cutting funds for teen preg-
weaken the 1973 Roe v. nancy prevention. A fed-
Wade decision that estab- eral judge subsequently or-
lished a nationwide right for dered the restoration of $5
women to have abortions. million in grant funding to
Wen and her family fled two Baltimore-based pre-
from China just before her vention programs.q
