Women’s rights activist Cecile Richards dead at 67

Cecile Richards, a nationalist person for abortion entree and women’s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 tumultuous years, has died. She was 67.

Richards died Monday astatine location successful New York “surrounded by household and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie,” her household said successful a statement.

“Our hearts are breached contiguous but nary words tin bash justness to the joyousness she brought to our lives,” the household said.

Richards, the girl of the precocious Texas Gov. Ann Richards, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an assertive signifier of encephalon cancer, successful 2023, 5 years aft she near Planned Parenthood.

Though Planned Parenthood besides provides commencement control, crab screenings and investigating for sexually transmitted diseases astatine clinics nationwide, its presumption arsenic the nation’s starring termination supplier has agelong made it a people of societal conservatives. Under Richards’ leadership, the enactment gained successful membership, donor enactment and governmental clout, and she played a salient relation successful pushing backmost against critics.

In 2015, she spent hours answering hostile questions from Republican U.S. House members who aboriginal created an investigative sheet to probe Planned Parenthood’s termination and fetal-tissue policies. In 2021, she warned that the U.S. Supreme Court’s inaction connected Texas’ restrictive termination instrumentality could awesome the extremity of judicial checks and balances connected the issue. And aft the tribunal overturned Roe v. Wade successful 2022, she continued to talk out.

“One day, our children and grandchildren whitethorn inquire us, ‘When it was each connected the line, what did you do?’” she said astatine the Democratic National Convention successful August. “The lone acceptable reply is, ‘Everything we could.’”

Born connected July 15, 1957, successful Waco, Texas, Richards earned a bachelor of arts grade successful past from Brown University, wherever she unfurled a banner from a 2nd level model during her 1980 graduation ceremonial to protestation the school’s investments successful South Africa.

“One of the much fashionable buttons of the time was ‘Question Authority,’ and I consciousness similar we did that each azygous day, and it perfectly acceptable maine connected my path,” she said successful a 2017 code to graduates. “Brown instilled successful maine the content that immoderate 1 of america tin alteration the satellite and that, successful fact, it’s benignant of what is expected of us.”

After college, she worked arsenic an organizer for low-wage workers successful respective states earlier returning to Texas to assistance with her mother’s 1990 gubernatorial campaign. In 2004, she was a laminitis of America Votes, and earlier joining Planned Parenthood, served arsenic lawman main of unit for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

“It was my privilege to enactment straight with Cecile for galore years and to I person a front-row spot to her crisp intellect, strategical reasoning and relentless effectiveness,” Pelosi said successful a connection Monday. “As she ascended to different enactment roles, we ne'er stopped moving unneurotic to support the rights of women and moving families.”

Outgoing President Joe Biden, who awarded Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom successful November, connected Monday called her a “leader of utmost character.”

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“Cecile fearlessly led america guardant to beryllium the America we accidental we are,” helium said successful a connection issued astir an hr earlier Donald Trump was sworn successful arsenic president. “Carrying her mom’s torch for justice, she championed immoderate of our Nation’s astir important civilian rights causes. She fought for the dignity of workers, defended and precocious women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilized our chap Americans to workout their powerfulness to vote.”

After leaving Planned Parenthood, Richards served arsenic co-chair of American Bridge, which supports wide causes and conducts absorption probe connected Republicans. Last fall, she launched a task that utilized societal media to stress idiosyncratic stories astir the interaction of termination bans and restrictions.

Alexis McGill Johnson, existent president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called Richards an “indomitable force.”

“As we proceed to navigate uncharted territory, we volition beryllium capable to conscionable the challenges we look successful ample portion due to the fact that of the question Cecile built implicit decades,” she said. “I know, without a doubt, that Cecile would archer america the champion mode to grant her representation is to suit up — preferably successful pinkish — nexus arms, and combat similar hellhole for Planned Parenthood patients crossed the country.”

Richards is survived by her husband, 2 daughters, a lad and 1 grandson.

In her Democratic normal speech, Richards described the joyousness of becoming a grandma successful 2023 and called Kamala Harris’ statesmanlike run a “celebration of women.”

“As my mother, Gov. Ann Richards, would say, ‘I perceive America singing,'” she said. “When women are escaped to marque their ain decisions astir their lives and to travel our dreams, we are unstoppable.”