Former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, daughter of the late Texas governor Ann Richards, is dead at 67.
News of the human rights activist’s death was shared by Richards’ family on her Instagram page Monday morning.
“This morning our beloved Cecile passed away at home, surrounded by her family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie,” that notice said. “Our hearts are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives.”
Richards, who lived in New York, began battling brain cancer in 2023. Her family thanked the physicians and who aided Richards since that diagnoses. They also posted a quote attributed to the women’s healthcare champion.
“It’s not hard to imagine future generations one day asking: ‘When there was so much at stake for our country, what did you do?’ The only acceptable answer is: ‘Everything we could.’”
Richards wrote in January 2024 that she was feeling well after several treatments and vacations. In that online post, she said having cancer hasn’t “filled her with profound insights on life,” but it reminded her there’s nothing more important that continuing women’s rights to reproductive healthcare.
Richards served as Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s president from 2006 to 2018. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2023.
She’s survived by her husband Kirk and their three children.
