Feminist activist and former president of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards died Monday after a battle with cancer, her family said. Richards was 67 years old.
“This morning our beloved Cecil passed away at home with his family and his faithful dog, Ollie by his side. Our hearts are broken today, but no words can do justice to the joy he brought to our lives, ” said in a statement. Richards' husband, Kirk Adams, and their three children, obtained by CBS News. “We are grateful to the doctors and health care workers who provided him with excellent care and to the friends, family and well-wishers who stood by him during these challenging times.”
The family asked those honoring Richards' life and legacy to remember the sentiment, which they said she has often repeated over the past year. “It's not hard to imagine that future generations will one day ask: 'When so much was at stake for our country, what did you do?' The only acceptable answer is: 'Everything we could,'' the statement quoted him as saying.
A longtime champion of women's rights, Texas-born Richards will be remembered as one of the United States' most prominent advocates. abortion access In recent decades, Planned Parenthood operated from 2006 to 2018. He repeatedly defended the organization and its mission against increasing attacks from political opponents, including President-elect Donald Trump, whose pledge to overturn the landmark abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade was central. For his first presidential campaign.
Richards was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2023. She initially shared the news in an interview with The Cut published last January.
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“The past six months have been rough — but thanks to incredible health care providers and the support of family and friends, I'm doing really well,” Richards wrote in a social media post at the time. “I've felt lucky my whole life, and I feel even luckier now: being here, doing this work, with all of you.”
After stepping down as president of Planned Parenthood, Richards moved forward to establish a new political action group, called supermajorityWith Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza and National Domestic Workers Alliance director Ai-Jen Poo. The group focuses on encouraging women to become politically active with the aim of empowering them as a voting block.
Planned Parenthood's current president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson called Richards “an indomitable force” and praised her for taking the organization “to new heights” during her tenure in another statement on Monday.
Johnson said, “We are saddened to lose a giant in the fight for reproductive freedom. As we move into uncharted territory, we are mindful of the challenges facing us in large part because of the movement Cecil built over the decades. Will be able to cope.” “I know, without a doubt, that Cecile would tell us that the best way to honor her memory is to link arms – preferably in pink – and fight like hell for Planned Parenthood patients across the country.”
Richards' work earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November, adding to the accolades she has received throughout her career. Time magazine named him among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012.
President Biden said in a statement that he and First Lady Jill Biden were “deeply saddened” by Richards' death, and described her as a “leader of immense character” who followed in the footsteps of her mother, former Texas Governor Ann Richards. But she was walking. Also a political activist.
“Cecil fearlessly led us to become the America we say we want,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “Carrying his mother's torch for justice, he championed some of our nation's most important civil rights issues. He fought for the dignity of workers, protected and advanced women's reproductive rights and equality, and our She inspired fellow Americans to exercise their power to vote. She was a leader of great character and I know her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”