A former president of Planned Parenthood and women’s rights activist has died.
Cecile Richards was 67 years old.
She died at home on Monday “surrounded by family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie,” The Associated Press reported. Our Hears are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives, the statement continued, according to CNN.
Richards was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in 2023.
Her family said they were “grateful to the doctors and health care workers who provided her excellent care and the friends, family, and well-wishers who have been by her side during this challenging time,” CNN reported.
Despite the diagnosis, her family did not share her cause of death, but when she spoke about the illness last year, she said it was incurable and has a life expectancy of 12 to 18 months.
She was the daughter of late Texas Gov. Ann Richards and served as the president of Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018, an organization that has been criticized by conservatives and anti-abortion activists for providing abortions. The group also provides birth control, cancer screening and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, the AP reported.
“Together, we have made real progress in this country, expanding access to services and making reproductive rights a central priority of our nation’s health care system,” Richards said in 2018, CNN reported. “I’m deeply proud of the progress we’ve made for the millions of people Planned Parenthood health centers serve across the country each year.”
Cecile Richards testified before a House panel that looked into Planned Parenthood’s abortion services in 2015. Eventually, the House Republicans launched an investigation into the organization’s abortion and fetal tissue policies, the AP reported.
Former President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November, saying in a statement on Monday, “Cecile fearlessly led us forward to be the America we say we are. Carrying her mom’s torch for justice, she championed some of our Nation’s most important civil rights causes. She fought for the dignity of workers, defended and advanced women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilized our fellow Americans to exercise their power to vote.”
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund released a statement that they were heartbroken with the loss of Cecile Richards.
Cecile Richards was an indomitable force,” the organizations said, according to CNN. “In her 12 devoted years of service to our organization, Cecile brought Planned Parenthood Federation of America to new heights in our health care, education, and advocacy work. She led us through fights that transformed the reproductive health and rights landscape and made Planned Parenthood Action Fund the advocacy and political force that it remains to this day.”
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