Despite Texas’ pro-life laws and Republican majorities, the Texas House is set to honor one of the most prominent figures in abortion-industry history: Cecile Richards.
Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood and daughter of former Democrat Gov. Ann Richards, will be posthumously recognized with a memorial resolution on Thursday as part of the House’s Memorial Calendar. She died of cancer in January.
House Resolution 236 by Austin Democrat State Rep. Donna Howard praises Richards for her political activism and leadership of Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 2006 to 2018, where she became the face of the nation’s largest abortion provider. It describes her as someone who “valiantly upheld the importance of the organization’s services and defended the rights of the women and families that it served.”
Pro-life leaders are blasting the move.
“After a very disappointing 2023 session, Pro-Life Texans are looking to their elected officials to fight against new tactics to take the lives of pre-born Texans,” Texas Right to Life President John Seago told Texas Scorecard. “However, the Texas House is stalling life-saving measures while carving out time to celebrate the merchant of death, Cecile Richards, who not only turned Planned Parenthood into the political powerhouse it is now but also ran the organization while it murdered 3 million Americans.”
Richards founded the Texas Freedom Network—an organization that frequently opposes pro-life and religious liberty policies—and later served as deputy chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She remained a staunch political figure even after leaving Planned Parenthood, founding a group aimed at mobilizing liberal women, and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden in 2024.
The decision to honor Richards was made by the House Local and Consent Calendars Committee. Its chairman, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco), did not respond to a request for comment.
The resolution is expected to be voted on as part of a package of memorial resolutions on Thursday.
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