Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president, dies at 67

Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, whose organization faced allegations it violated federal law by selling aborted baby body parts, has died at age 67.
Richards' family released a statement to NBC News on Monday morning confirming her death, which occurred about a year and a half after she was diagnosed with brain cancer.
"This morning our beloved Cecile passed away at home, surrounded by her family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie. Our hearts are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives," her family stated.
"We are 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."
Richards leaves behind her husband, Kirk Adams, with whom she had three children. When pregnant with a fourth child, Richards opted for an abortion.
The daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, Cecile Richards served as president of Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018 and is credited with expanding the abortion provider's social and political influence.
While at the helm, her organization garnered controversy when a series of undercover videos were released in 2015 purporting to show what activists say were employees and abortionists discussing the illegal selling of aborted baby body parts, including hearts, lungs, liver, limbs and tissue.
Released online by the Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life activist group, the videos prompted several investigations into Planned Parenthood at the state and federal level, with Richards denying any wrongdoing.
In January 2018, Richards resigned as the organization's president and was succeeded by Dr. Leana Wen, who was ousted the following year due in part to her belief that Planned Parenthood should focus more on medical services and less on abortion advocacy.
"When Richards came into office, the abortion titan carried out 264,943 abortions per year and performed 844,201 breast exams," wrote Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, in a 2024 op-ed for The Christian Post.
"When she left in 2018, Planned Parenthood performed just 296,310 breast exams each year — a 65% decrease from when she began. Even more tragically, that year, Planned Parenthood killed 332,757 unborn babies through abortion. Richards increased the number of abortions Planned Parenthood carried out each year by almost 70,000."
In 2023, Richards was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer, with the news coming around the same time that her first grandson was born.
New York Magazine published a feature on The Cut in January 2024, in which Richards noted that, despite the diagnosis, she was continuing her pro-choice advocacy work.
This has included working on Charley, an online bot Richards helped create alongside former Planned Parenthood chief strategy officer Tom Subak, which provides resources to women seeking abortion.
"I've been blessed to have always had work that I cared about," Richards told the magazine. "I have been one of the really privileged few that could do what I thought needed doing. And so whatever comes next, I have that."
Last November, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Richards, saying at the time that he believed she "fearlessly leads us forward to be the America we say we are — a nation of freedom."
"Through her work to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women's reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote, she has carved an inspiring legacy," he stated.
During her testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2015, Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia accused critics of Richards of "misogyny" based on their treatment of her.
Right after Connolly's remarks, Republican Rep. John Duncan of Tennessee asked Richards, "surely you don't expect us to be easier on you because you're a woman?"
"Absolutely not," Richards replied. "That's not how my mamma raised me."