Cecile Richards, who is currently the head of Planned Parenthood, is resigning from the position. She led the healthcare organization for more than ten years. It is not clear when Richards plans to leave. She joined the Planned Parenthood organization in 2006 as president. Although Richards was yet to confirm the news, sources close to her said that she had already conveyed her intentions to several members of the Planned Parenthood’s board.
On Friday, Richards confirmed the news in a statement she delivered. In the statement, she said that she is very proud of the progress that the organization has made for millions of people who receive the services of Planned Parenthood centers all over the country year after year. She confirmed that she would be leaving the organization, and would continue to serve and advocate for women’s rights. She continued to say that she would continue to travel around the country advocating for the basic rights and health care that the people deserve. Richards, however, did not give a clear hint as to her next steps.
Richards has played a crucial role in congressional fights over federal planning for Planned Parenthood’s clinics which offered health services (that are not related to abortion) to women, especially in the rural communities not otherwise served. Her resignation comes at a significant turning point for the abortion rights movement.
US president Donald Trump’s administration has moved to limit access to contraceptives while fastening abortion restrictions. The administration also retracted protections for Planned Parenthood services in some states. This was made possible thanks to Vice President Mike Pence’s tie-breaking vote in the Senate last year March.
Cecile Richards has fearlessly and aggressively fought for abortion rights in the face of fierce attacks from conservative lawmakers while she advocated for the organization’s health care services. She leads the organization, and its more than 600 affiliate health centers spread out all over the US while controlling its advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
In 2015, Richards defended the organization when an anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress secretly recorded videos of workers discussing its fetal tissues research. The videos were misleadingly edited. Later in the year, she fought against Republican lawmakers in a controversial House Oversight and Government Reform Committee meeting held to scrutinize its federal funding. The organization receives roughly $450 million in government funds which cannot be put into abortion cases.
