Cecile Richards, who served as president of the women’s health organization Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018, died Monday, Jan. 20, her family confirmed to PEOPLE. She was 67 years old.
Her death followed a diagnosis of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2023.
“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 describe the joy she brought to our lives,” Richards’ family — husband Kirk Adams and their children, Lily, Hannah and Daniel — said in a statement.
They continued: “We are grateful to the doctors and health professionals who provided her with excellent care and to the friends, family and well-wishers who stood by her during this challenging time.”
“Cecile Richards was an indomitable force. In her 12 dedicated years of service to our organization, Cecile has led Planned Parenthood to new heights in our healthcare, education and advocacy. She led us through struggles that transformed the landscape of reproductive health and rights and made the Planned Parenthood Action Fund an advocacy and political force that remains today,” current Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement released Monday.
Cecile Richards 2016
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Prior to serving as president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Richards was a longtime political activist who first helped her mother, former Texas Governor Ann Richards, with her gubernatorial campaign before becoming the governor’s deputy chief of former President Nancy Pelosi’s cabinet.
“It was a privilege to work directly with Cecile for many years and have a front-row seat to her sharp intellect, strategic thinking and relentless efficiency. As Deputy Chief of Staff while I was Democratic Whip and Leader, she was a critical part of ensuring that Team Pelosi remained connected with grassroots needs and priorities,” Pelosi said in a statement.
She added, “As she rose to other leadership roles, we never stopped working together to defend the rights of women and working families.”
Richards was also one of the founders of America Votes, a non-profit organization whose goal is to increase voter turnout.
After leaving Planned Parenthood, she co-founded the group Supermajority, which aimed to make women the most powerful voting bloc in the district. She also served on the board of the Ford Foundation.
Richards was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023 Texas Tribune reported. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no cure for glioblastoma, although treatments can help improve symptoms or slow the growth of the cancer, which starts in the brain or spinal cord and spreads quickly.
Even after being diagnosed with cancer, Richards continued to advocate for reproductive rights, especially after the Supreme Court’s reversal Roe v. Wademaking the procedure actually illegal in several states. In an Instagram post in January 2024, she wrote: “In my experience, cancer doesn’t suddenly fill you with deep insights into life. What it does is really clarify what’s important. And right now there is no more important job than fighting for abortion rights.”
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Cecile Richards 2024.
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President Joe Biden — who awarded Richards the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2024 — released a statement on her death on Monday. “Jill and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Cecile Richards. Cecile has fearlessly led us forward to be the America we say we are. Carrying her mother’s torch for justice, she championed some of our nation’s most important civil rights goals,” he said.
He added, “She fought for the dignity of working women, defended and advanced women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilized our fellow Americans to exercise their voting power. She was a leader of exceptional character, and I know her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Biden’s statement was released on Inauguration Day, just hours before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
A statement from Richards’ family continued with recommendations on how to honor her: “If you want to celebrate Cecile today, we invite you to play some New Orleans jazz, gather with friends and family over a good meal, and remember something she said a lot over the past year : ‘It is not difficult to imagine future generations asking one day: ‘When there was so much at stake for our country, what did you do?’ ”
They added: “The only acceptable answer is: ‘All we could.’ ”
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Source: HIS Education