Leana S. Wen Quotes

Leana S. Wen

Birth : January 27, 1983

We came to the U.S. with $40. My parents were both professionals in China who had difficulty finding employment here. They worked multiple jobs, but we still really struggled. There were times when we could not make rent and were dependent on the good graces of people that we met, and sometimes we depended on shelters.

Leana S. Wen

When I finally addressed my stuttering - I was almost through with medical school by the time that I finally sought therapy for speech - one of the exercises was making sure that we say what we want to say and not substitute words.

Leana S. Wen

In college, if anyone asked me - professors or classmates - I said, 'I want to be a lab tech.' Because I was afraid that people would laugh at me if I said I wanted to be a doctor.

Leana S. Wen

By definition, outbreaks are quickly evolving situations. Outbreaks with novel diseases bring even more unknowns.

Leana S. Wen

An effective public-health response requires that those leading the response pivot when new information comes out and change course when unexpected circumstance arise.

Leana S. Wen

Constant reevaluation is the bedrock of any emergency response.

Leana S. Wen

Abortions are safe.

Leana S. Wen

Abortions that occur late in pregnancy are often due to extreme, extenuating circumstances such as when a woman's life is in danger, when there has been a severe fetal diagnosis, or when the pregnancy is not viable.

Leana S. Wen

My job as the doctor is to provide my patients with the information and services they need to make the best decisions for them and their families. Medicine is complex, and every situation is different.

Leana S. Wen

Politicians should not be making personal medical decisions for other people.

Leana S. Wen

When I was 10 years old, my neighbor died in front of me of an asthma attack, because he and his family were undocumented immigrants and his grandmother was afraid of what would happen if they called an ambulance for help.

Leana S. Wen

Over and over again, I have also seen our health care system fail women because of discriminatory policies.

Leana S. Wen

Planned Parenthood's work - bringing affordable and accessible health care to as many women (and men and all people) as possible - isn't just the right thing to do. It's the urgent thing to do.

Leana S. Wen

My parents sacrificed everything because they wanted a better life for me and my little sister. That's why we came to the U.S. So it wasn't an option not to step up to those high expectations. So I didn't go to high school. There was an early entrance program at California State in Los Angeles, and I started college at 13.

Leana S. Wen

I had this childhood dream that I wanted to be a doctor, but I came from a neighborhood and an environment where nobody around me was a doctor. I literally didn't know how one goes from studying in college to becoming a doctor.

Leana S. Wen

I had severe asthma when I was a child and I saw doctors growing up. Seeing someone who could not only help me medically, but also assure me that I was going to be O.K. at this really terrifying time - that's what I wanted to do.

Leana S. Wen

When I was 16 and I wanted information about birth control, Planned Parenthood was the first and only place that I could think of going for my health care and education.

Leana S. Wen

We really need to be talking about the COVID vaccine the same way that we talk about other vaccinations - which is that it's safe, effective, life-saving and essential for the public's health.

Leana S. Wen

I don't think that people should have the choice to infect others with a potentially fatal and extremely contagious virus.

Leana S. Wen

Every time I am on air, I will receive actually quite a few messages that specifically tie me to the Chinese Communist Party - which is ludicrous because my family left on political asylum from China - or that will blame me and 'my people' for the coronavirus.

Leana S. Wen