Cecile Richards, Esteemed Leader of Planned Parenthood, Passes Away: NPR

In this archived photo, then-President of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards addresses a rally protesting the repeal of the Affordable Care Act outside the Capitol Building on July 27, 2017, in Washington, DC.

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Cecile Richards, a well-known proponent of women’s rights and various progressive issues, passed away on Monday. Her family released a statement confirming her death, mentioning she died at home, “surrounded by family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie.”

“Our hearts are shattered today, but no words can capture the happiness she brought to our lives,” the statement read.

Richards gained recognition for her leadership of Planned Parenthood during a notably trying period that included threats to its funding and the first election of Donald Trump to the presidency.

Over her more than ten years leading Planned Parenthood, Richards was frequently called upon to support the reproductive health organization against attacks from political adversaries. She and her cause faced increasing obstacles following Trump’s election, who campaigned in 2016 vowing to overturn the landmark ruling on abortion rights Roe v. Wade.

At the Women’s March in Washington the day succeeding Trump’s inauguration in 2017, Richards spoke to thousands of demonstrators, promising to oppose his policies.

“Today we are here to send a message: we will not accept this passively, and we will not retreat,” Richards proclaimed to the audience.

The following year, Richards announced her departure from Planned Parenthood. After exiting the organization, Richards dedicated her efforts to leading Supermajority, a group she co-founded to mobilize female voters.

In the subsequent years, the Trump administration would implement measures aimed at restricting access to abortion, including cutting off funds for organizations that offer abortion referrals, such as Planned Parenthood, through an overhaul of the Title X family planning system.

During his first term, Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, who, in June 2022, would ultimately vote to dismantle decades of abortion-rights precedence.

Despite hardships for the abortion rights movement and a diagnosis of brain cancer, Richards exemplified an “indefatigable” resolve, according to former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis.

“Her belief was you cannot surrender before you even start, and that fighting is always worthwhile,” Davis remarked.

Davis collaborated closely with Richards during a high-profile struggle to defeat an anti-abortion bill in Texas in 2013. Now serving as a senior advisor for Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the political arm of the organization in Texas, Davis states that Richards continues to inspire her to persist.

“It’s tempting to yield to exhaustion and to just give up,” Davis reflected. “When I find myself feeling that way, I think about Cecile, and I know many people do.”

Richards herself drew strength from the heritage of her mother, the late Texas Governor Ann Richards, recognized for her sharp humor and approachable demeanor.

During a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2015, a male legislator questioned her if she expected the committee “to be more lenient with you because you’re a woman?”

“Absolutely not,” Richards replied. “That’s not how my mama raised me.”

The hearing was prompted by the dissemination of secretly-recorded footage by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion organization that accused Planned Parenthood of selling fetal tissues. Planned Parenthood asserted that the sting videos were manipulated to mislead deliberately.

Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in the St. Louis region, knew Richards for over a decade through their shared advocacy for abortion rights.

“I believe she fundamentally transformed how the movement engaged publicly; she was a very visible and audacious presence,” McNicholas states. “She wasn’t afraid to answer questions or to use the term ‘abortion.'”

Washington Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat with a long history of advocating for reproductive rights, attributes an essential role to Richards in ensuring the Affordable Care Act, passed under President Barack Obama, included contraceptive coverage.

Murray believes that despite the setbacks the movement has encountered in recent times, she views Richards as a beacon of ongoing struggle.

“I would take what Cecile has accomplished in her life and use it as a call to action for all of us now: you press on, you advocate for your beliefs, and you possess the bravery to assert what is just,” Murray declares. “You absorb those setbacks, learn from them, and move ahead, and she consistently exemplified that.”

In an Instagram update in January 2024, a few months after her cancer diagnosis, Richards shared her experiences of undergoing a whirlwind of treatments, spending time with family, and prioritizing what truly mattered — including her ongoing activism.

“After all,” Richards wrote, “as my mother would often say: ‘Why should your life be solely about you?'”

As her wellbeing continued to deteriorate, Richards addressed the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

She spoke of the joy of recently becoming a grandmother and the difficulties many women have encountered since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“One day, our children and grandchildren may ask us, ‘When it was all at stake, what actions did you take?’ And the only acceptable response is, everything within our power,” Richards stated.

In November 2024, President Joe Biden honored Cecile Richards with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a private ceremony at the White House. In a statement, Biden lauded Richards for her “unwavering courage and conviction” and “an inspiring legacy that lives on in her remarkable family, the innumerable lives she has impacted, and a nation in pursuit of the light of equality, justice, and freedom.”