Longtime former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has died at 67
Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, died Monday at the age of 67 after a battle with aggressive brain cancer.
“This morning our beloved Cecile passed away at home, surrounded by her family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie. Our hearts are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives,” her family wrote in a statement announcing her death. She is survived by her husband and three children.
The daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards, Richards was a lifelong pro-abortion activist. Throughout her lifetime, she either founded or was involved in a number of organizations promoting pro-abortion ideology, including the Texas Freedom Network, America Coming Together, and America Votes, in addition to Planned Parenthood. More recently, she spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention to garner support for presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
During Richards’ 12-year tenure as president (from 2006 to 2018), abortions skyrocketed at Planned Parenthood, with the abortion giant committing nearly four million abortions during that time. Under her leadership, Planned Parenthood turned to a business model primarily focused on abortion, as services like cervical cancer screenings and breast exams began to dwindle while abortions — and excess revenue — continued to climb. Rolling Stone, in its tribute to Richards, said she made the abortion organization a “political powerhouse” — and making the organization political had been her goal.
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Richards was at the helm of the organization when undercover videos from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) were released, alleging that Planned Parenthood was selling fetal body parts in violation of federal law. Other undercover videos revealed instances of Planned Parenthood covering up child sex abuse, with the organization repeatedly failing to protect children by skirting mandatory reporting laws.
In November 2024, President Joe Biden awarded Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying, “Through her work to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote, she has carved an inspiring legacy.”
Richards appeared to have remained proud of the work she did to advance abortion, stating at her DNC speech last year, “One day, our children and grandchildren may ask us, ‘When it was all on the line, what did you do?’ And the only acceptable answer is, everything we could.”
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Human Interest·By Bridget Sielicki
