(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards at a private ceremony, the White House said.
Richards, the daughter of the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, left the reproductive health care organization in 2018 after leading it for 12 years. Earlier this year, Richards revealed she was battling glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer – the same that killed Biden’s son Beau.
Biden posted on X that it was his “honor” to award Cecile Richards the Medal of Freedom, and shared a photo of him, first lady Jill Biden, Richards and Richards’s husband, Kirk Adams.
The following commendation praising Richards’s work was delivered at the ceremony, the White House said.
“Carrying her parents’ torch for justice, she’s led some of our Nation’s most important civil rights causes – to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote,” the commendation stated. “A leader of utmost character, she has carved an inspiring legacy that endures in her incredible family, the countless lives she has made better, and a Nation seeking the light of equality, justice, and freedom.”
The Presidential Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest civilian honor. At a White House ceremony in the spring, Biden awarded the honor to 19 Americans, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Al Gore, Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky and Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.
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