Remembering Cecile Richards

On Monday, the family of Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, announced that she had died. Richards is now being remembered by many as an advocate for women’s and worker’s rights.

Richards was born in Waco to David and Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas. At an early age, Cecile Richards was motivated to stand up for causes she believed in, like protesting the Vietnam War while in high school. After she graduated from Brown University, Richards became a labor organizer around the country. She moved back to Texas to help her mother’s insurgent bid for governor.

In 2006 Richards was named the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She served in that role until 2018. In a post on Bluesky, Planned Parenthood paid tribute to their former president. “We are heartbroken to lose the indomitable force that is our former president, Cecile Richards,” they said in a statement. “In her [twelve] devoted years of service to our org, she brought us to new heights in our health care, education, and advocacy work. She was the embodiment of ‘Care, no matter what.’” 

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Richards remained outspoken about the consequences for women in states with abortion bans. Richards’s persistence in being a proponent of reproductive care came even as she was battling glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. 

In August 2024, Richards spoke at the DNC National Convention in Chicago. She reflected on how her new role as a grandmother made her believe even more in women having full access to reproductive healthcare. Richards also helped introduce Kate Cox, a woman who had to travel out of state for a medically necessary abortion, during the roll call for Texas.

In November, Richards received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In her native Texas Richards has received an outpouring of tributes. “Cecile Richards was a tireless force for women’s rights in Texas and across the nation,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu in a statement. “As we enter into a new era of Republican attacks on women, Texans should know that House Democrats will not rest until we realize Cecile’s goals: ensure every Texan woman has the access to care they need, deliver reproductive freedom to every woman in Texas, and ensure gender equity in education and workforce pay.”