Comparing The Leadership Of Faye Wattleton And Planned Parenthood

The year of 1978 became a historic moment in time for Faye Wattleton and this country. At the age of 34, she became not only the first African American woman, but also the youngest person to preside over the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She used her position to further progress and advocate for the organization. One of the greatest powers she had that other leaders of the organization before her did not was the ability to bridge the gap with minorities. The health of African Americans has not always been, and still is not a top priority in this country, but she was able to get some our voices heard. As she once quoted, "The future and strength of the [black] race is for women to be able to have kids when they want them and to love

As previously mentioned, she grew up in a Christian background, so there certainly were disagreements conserning topics such as abortion with Christian and other religious faiths. In addition to pushback from religious groups, she and Planned Parenthood also had to deal with political parties and organizations that pushed back against some of her advocacies. Lastly of course, were pro-life and anti-abortionist organizations that went against her missions all around the nation. Wattleton and Planned Parenthood received countless threats, some verbal and some physical that were of serious concern. However, it takes a strong leader to fight for what is right when there are so many adversaries going against you. Wattleton was just that. She was steadfast with her mission and never stopped pushing for what she believed

Faye Wattleton, who resigned from her position in 1992, cannot be thanked enough for her services and the progressive direction that she took the organization too. By the end of her 14 years serving as the president, the organization encompassed 170 affiliates and 860 clinics in 49 states. She also tripled the organizations budget from $104.3 million in 1977 to $303 million in 1988, generating more funds to provide more care. It is no question that she took Planned Parenthood to new heights and affected thousands of lives along the way. She has set a tremendous example to thousands of nurses around the country. Her work has shown that by starting off with a nursing degree and a passion, there is so much that a nurse can do to improve healthcare for women Nurses have an opportunity to work for organizations like Planned Parenthood and continue to advocate for women’s reproductive rights and care. Nurse practitioners, in particular, can perform roles such as educating women and young girls, inserting IUDs, and prescribing oral contraceptives to women. One of the greatest advantages of this aspect of the nurse practitioner role is that such services are much more affordable to those seeking care, as opposed to visiting a physician for these matters. This concludes that the work of Faye Wattleton and Planned Parenthood have made reproductive healthcare more accessible