Cecile Richards—former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund from 2006 to 2018; founder of Supermajority, an organization dedicated to championing women’s leadership; daughter of Gov. Ann Richards, the first and only female governor of Texas; and a lifelong feminist and political activist and trailblazer—died Monday, Jan. 20, after a battle with brain cancer. She was 67. In a statement, her family confirmed her death, saying she passed away at home, “surrounded by family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie.”
Throughout her career, Richards was one of the strongest pro-abortion rights activists in the U.S. Despite her cancer diagnosis in mid-2023, Richards remained a strong and trailblazing force for women’s health. Later that year, she helped launch a new online chatbot named Charley to help abortion seekers in all 50 states find quick, accurate and confidential abortion information, tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. She was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in August, where she also helped to cast Texas’ votes to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
REST IN POWER
PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Montgomery_ANN ARBOR, MI/USA – MAY 21, 2019 – Cecile Richards, co-founder of political action group Supermajority addresses the Ann Arbor Stop the Bans protest organized by Planned Parenthood.
