Origins (1922), the first president and founder of Planned Parenthood The origins of Planned Parenthood date to October 16, 1916, when
Margaret Sanger, her sister
Ethel Byrne, and
Fania Mindell opened the
first birth control clinic in the U.S. in the
Brownsville section of the
New York borough of
Brooklyn. They distributed birth control, birth control advice, and birth control information. All three women were arrested and jailed for violating provisions of the
Comstock Act, accused of distributing obscene materials at the clinic. The so-called Brownsville trials brought national attention and support to their cause. Sanger and her co-defendants were convicted on
misdemeanor charges, which they appealed through two subsequent appeals courts. While the convictions were not overturned, the judge who issued the final ruling also modified the law to permit physician-prescribed birth control. The women's campaign led to major changes in the laws governing birth control and sex education in the United States. In 1921, the clinic was organized into the
American Birth Control League, the core of the only national birth-control organization in the U.S. until the 1960s. By 1941, it was operating 222 centers and had served 49,000 clients. In 1923, Sanger opened the Birth Control
Clinical Research Bureau (BCCRB) for dispensing contraceptives under the supervision of licensed physicians and studying their effectiveness. Some found the ABCL's title offensive and "against families", so the League began discussions for a new name. In 1938, a group of private citizens organized the Citizens Committee for Planned Parenthood to aid the American Birth Control League in spreading scientific knowledge about birth control to the general public. The BCCRB merged with the ABCL in 1939 to form the Birth Control Federation of America (BCFA). In 1942 the name of the BCFA was changed to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In 1961, the population crisis debate, along with funding shortages, convinced PPFA to merge with the World Population Emergency Campaign, a citizens' fund-raising organization to become PPFA-World Population. For much of the organization's history, however, and throughout Sanger's life,
abortion was illegal in the U.S., and discussions of the issue were often censored. During his tenure, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale of the original
birth control pill, giving rise to new attitudes towards women's
reproductive freedom. The Center for Family Planning Program Development was also founded as a semi-autonomous division during this time. The center became an independent organization and was renamed the
Guttmacher Institute in 1977. Focusing, at first, on legalizing
therapeutic abortion, Planned Parenthood became an increasingly vocal proponent of liberalized abortion laws during the 1960s, culminating in its call for the repeal of all anti-abortion laws in 1969. In the years that followed, the organization played a key role in landmark abortion rights cases such as
Roe v. Wade (1973) and
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). During her term, Planned Parenthood grew to become the seventh largest charity in the country, providing services to four million clients each year through its 170 affiliates, whose activities were spread across 50 states. From 1996 to 2006, Planned Parenthood was led by
Gloria Feldt. Feldt activated the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), the organization's
political action committee, launching what was the most far-reaching electoral advocacy effort in its history. The PPAF serves as the nonpartisan political advocacy arm of PPFA. It engages in educational and electoral activity, including legislative advocacy, voter education, and
grassroots organizing to promote the PPFA mission. Feldt also launched the Responsible Choices Action Agenda, a nationwide campaign to increase services to prevent
unwanted pregnancies, improve the quality of reproductive care, and ensure access to safe and legal abortions. In 2012, Richards was voted one of
Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. Richards' tenure as president of the organization ended on April 30, 2018. Current Planned Parenthood board member
Joe Solmonese was appointed as transition chair to temporarily oversee the day-to-day operations of Planned Parenthood after Richards' departure. in April 2017 On September 12, 2018, the organization announced that
Leana Wen would take over as president, effective November 2018. Wen was removed as president of Planned Parenthood by the organization's board of directors on July 16, 2019.
Alexis McGill Johnson, a board member and former chairwoman, became the organization's acting president.
Unionization campaign Since 2017, frontline Planned Parenthood staff have been publicly engaged in unionization campaigns at many Planned Parenthood locations. Workers have criticized the organization for its low salaries, poor working conditions and a disconnect between leadership and rank and file workers. Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains challenged the results of its union election at the
National Labor Relations Board and hired
Fisher Phillips lawfirm to run an anti-union campaign, before eventually agreeing to a contract in 2018. Planned Parenthood North Central States disciplined its union's entire bargaining team and fired a union organizer after she accused a coworker of assault. The regional affiliate agreed to a contract in 2023 after 37 bargaining sessions over the course of 16 months.
Data breaches In October 2021, a
hacker gained access to the data network of the Los Angeles branch of Planned Parenthood and obtained the personal information of approximately 400,000 patients. On December 1, 2021,
The Washington Post reported that the breach was a
ransomware attack. The organization did not say if they paid the ransom or if the perpetrators made any demands. There was no indication as to who was responsible for the hack. The Metropolitan Washington branch of Planned Parenthood was also hacked in 2020 with donor and patient information compromised, including dates of birth,
social security numbers, financial information, and medical data.
Margaret Sanger Awards In 1966, PPFA began awarding the Margaret Sanger Award annually to honor, in their words, "individuals of distinction in recognition of excellence and leadership in furthering reproductive health and reproductive rights." In the first year, it was awarded to four men: Carl G. Hartman,
William Henry Draper Jr.,
Lyndon B. Johnson, and
Martin Luther King Jr. Later recipients have included
John D. Rockefeller III,
Katharine Hepburn,
Jane Fonda,
Hillary Clinton, and
Ted Turner. == Services ==