Read Next
Pop Culture
Chrissy Teigen mistakenly thinks she aborted her son. Now she's promoting abortion in Idaho.
Cassy Cooke
·Spotlight Articles
Investigative·By Nancy Flanders
Former Planned Parenthood staffers sue, claim former CEO tried to deemphasize abortion
Former staff members of Planned Parenthood Southeast (PPSE) have filed a lawsuit alleging that they were wrongly terminated after they expressed concerns about the direction the organization was taking. One of the employees' main complaints was that the affiliate's CEO wanted to focus less on abortion.
Six former employees have filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Southeast and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The suit alleges that PPSE violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The former employees allege that a newly-hired CEO was making changes to the organization that were counter to Planned Parenthood's pro-abortion mission.
Six former staff members of PPSE say they were wrongfully fired after they raised concerns about leadership in 2025.
Jaylen Black, Hannah Davis, Kim Luong, Kaylah Oates-Marable, LaTerria Shelby, and Jessica Swanson are suing PPSE and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. for unspecified damages, alleging the organization violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit alleges that PPSE — which operates in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia — "installed a new executive leadership team unaligned with the organization's mission and values, much less its core sensibilities about the dignity of its own employees."
It said the "six plaintiffs openly challenged PPSE’s drift from its mission and its curtailment of its services and outreach to a LGBT community that has faced constant political and legal attack."
The suit states that (former) CEO Mairo Akposé had no ties to the abortion industry when she got a job as Chief People and Culture Officer, where she worked for one year before becoming CEO. It also says that she "scrubbed PPSE from her professional identity" and that in her own lawsuit against PPSE filed on October 14, she describes herself as a "practicing Christian."
The lawsuit notes (emphasis added):
After the 2024 presidential election, Akpose told senior level staffers that one of her goals was to rebrand PPSE’s mission as less centered on abortion rights.
At one point, in the presence of Georgia State Director Oates-Marable and Black, the Vice President of External Affairs, Akpose observed that “we talk about abortion too much, we focus too much on it.”
Both Black and Oates-Marable objected and cautioned Akpose about downgrading a key PPFA priority, especially when the Georgia legislature was debating the criminalization of abortion from the onset of pregnancy.
The staffers complain that Akposé "began to distance PPFA from alliances with the LGBT community related to public policy and sexual education and awareness initiatives" and stopped "partnering in Pride-themed events."
In addition, the complaint states that Akposé hired Karen Rene, who had previously called herself "pro-life," and had referred to an abortion procedure as "'dismembering babies,' a jarring adoption of anti-choice rhetoric that stunned and outraged several partners of PPSE who were present."
First-trimester suction aspiration abortions, D&C abortions, and second-trimester D&E abortions (D&E being the most common to involve intentional dismemberment) can all lead to the dismemberment and disarticulation of the body of a preborn child:
The lawsuit also states that Rene questioned female staff members about their desire to have children but did not speak to male staff members in such a way, "creating a gender-based hostile environment."
The six former staffers allege that they were let go from their jobs after voicing concerns that PPSE was moving in a direction counter to Planned Parenthood's abortion-centered mission.
In the meantime, Akposé, who was terminated in December after staff went public with their complaints in an online campaign called “Save PPSE," filed a Title VII complaint against PPSE on Oct. 14, alleging racial and religious discrimination.
Despite its previous claims that abortion is only a tiny percentage of what Planned Parenthood does (something even the Washington Post debunked), this lawsuit makes clear that abortion is "a key PPFA priority." In fact, employees have stated that they were pressured by the organization to sell more abortions.
Planned Parenthood has faced other lawsuits, including filings from injured patients, parents of abused children, and states that alleged fraud.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Cassy Cooke
·
Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·
Investigative
Sheena Rodriguez
·
Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·
Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·
Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·
Abortion Pill
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·
Pop Culture
Nancy Flanders
·
Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·
Activism
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative·By Nancy Flanders
Former Planned Parenthood staffers sue, claim former CEO tried to deemphasize abortion
Former staff members of Planned Parenthood Southeast (PPSE) have filed a lawsuit alleging that they were wrongly terminated after they expressed concerns about the direction the organization was taking. One of the employees' main complaints was that the affiliate's CEO wanted to focus less on abortion.
Six former employees have filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Southeast and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The suit alleges that PPSE violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The former employees allege that a newly-hired CEO was making changes to the organization that were counter to Planned Parenthood's pro-abortion mission.
Six former staff members of PPSE say they were wrongfully fired after they raised concerns about leadership in 2025.
Jaylen Black, Hannah Davis, Kim Luong, Kaylah Oates-Marable, LaTerria Shelby, and Jessica Swanson are suing PPSE and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. for unspecified damages, alleging the organization violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit alleges that PPSE — which operates in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia — "installed a new executive leadership team unaligned with the organization's mission and values, much less its core sensibilities about the dignity of its own employees."
It said the "six plaintiffs openly challenged PPSE’s drift from its mission and its curtailment of its services and outreach to a LGBT community that has faced constant political and legal attack."
The suit states that (former) CEO Mairo Akposé had no ties to the abortion industry when she got a job as Chief People and Culture Officer, where she worked for one year before becoming CEO. It also says that she "scrubbed PPSE from her professional identity" and that in her own lawsuit against PPSE filed on October 14, she describes herself as a "practicing Christian."
The lawsuit notes (emphasis added):
After the 2024 presidential election, Akpose told senior level staffers that one of her goals was to rebrand PPSE’s mission as less centered on abortion rights.
At one point, in the presence of Georgia State Director Oates-Marable and Black, the Vice President of External Affairs, Akpose observed that “we talk about abortion too much, we focus too much on it.”
Both Black and Oates-Marable objected and cautioned Akpose about downgrading a key PPFA priority, especially when the Georgia legislature was debating the criminalization of abortion from the onset of pregnancy.
The staffers complain that Akposé "began to distance PPFA from alliances with the LGBT community related to public policy and sexual education and awareness initiatives" and stopped "partnering in Pride-themed events."
In addition, the complaint states that Akposé hired Karen Rene, who had previously called herself "pro-life," and had referred to an abortion procedure as "'dismembering babies,' a jarring adoption of anti-choice rhetoric that stunned and outraged several partners of PPSE who were present."
First-trimester suction aspiration abortions, D&C abortions, and second-trimester D&E abortions (D&E being the most common to involve intentional dismemberment) can all lead to the dismemberment and disarticulation of the body of a preborn child:
The lawsuit also states that Rene questioned female staff members about their desire to have children but did not speak to male staff members in such a way, "creating a gender-based hostile environment."
The six former staffers allege that they were let go from their jobs after voicing concerns that PPSE was moving in a direction counter to Planned Parenthood's abortion-centered mission.
In the meantime, Akposé, who was terminated in December after staff went public with their complaints in an online campaign called “Save PPSE," filed a Title VII complaint against PPSE on Oct. 14, alleging racial and religious discrimination.
Despite its previous claims that abortion is only a tiny percentage of what Planned Parenthood does (something even the Washington Post debunked), this lawsuit makes clear that abortion is "a key PPFA priority." In fact, employees have stated that they were pressured by the organization to sell more abortions.
Planned Parenthood has faced other lawsuits, including filings from injured patients, parents of abused children, and states that alleged fraud.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Cassy Cooke
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative
Sheena Rodriguez
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Abortion Pill
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·Pop Culture
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Activism
Nancy Flanders
·