Planned Parenthood of Illinois has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into discrimination claims linked to its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The EEOC found the affiliate violated federal civil rights laws by segregating employees by race and harassing white staff. The settlement follows charges from multiple employees.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois, an affiliate of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, reached a $500,000 settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to end an probe into its workplace practices. The investigation determined that the organization breached Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through actions including segregating employees by race, harassing white employees, and providing disparate treatment in employment terms and conditions to white staff members, according to the EEOC announcement Thursday, March 19, 2026. The charges originated from multiple employees who alleged that the affiliate required weekly participation in race-segregated 'affinity caucuses,' where employees of other races were excluded, or in DEI training sessions featuring statements such as that white employees 'are White and do not feel racism the same way non-White patients feel.' EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas stated, 'Segregating employees by race violates the core promise of our nation's civil rights laws. Title VII guarantees equal treatment for every employee and prohibits race discrimination in America's workplaces. Those protections equally apply to white workers.' Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Adrienne White-Faines responded that the practices occurred under prior leadership and predated her 2025 appointment. She noted, '[Planned Parenthood of Illinois] has now come to an agreement with the EEOC about a path forward that will allow us to put this matter behind us and continue providing critical health care services to our valued patients from Illinois and across the country.' This settlement aligns with the EEOC's recent scrutiny of DEI initiatives under Chair Lucas, amid broader agency actions against similar programs at companies like Nike.
