Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood who helped turn the reproductive healthcare giant into a formidable political organization and make support for abortion rights a virtual requirement for Democratic candidates, died on Monday after a battle with brain cancer.
Her mother, the former Texas governor Ann Richards, was a political legend, but Richards herself became a household name in 2015, after anti-abortion activists released secret recordings of Planned Parenthood workers purportedly discussing the sale of fetal tissue.
Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood, dies at 67 Texas-born activist who spent lifetime advocating for abortion rights died after a battle with brain cancer.
The recordings – which Planned Parenthood said were doctored – spurred multiple congressional and state investigations that could not substantiate their contents, and led US House Republicans to grill Richards in an hours-long, highly publicized hearing.
Under her watch, Planned Parenthood became a mainstay in Democratic politics, battled numerous congressional attempts to defund the organization, and tried to dam a torrent of state-level efforts to restrict abortion access.
