PPHP on Cecile Richards Announcing Plans to Step Down from Planned Parenthood Federation
For Immediate Release: Jan. 26, 2018
Today, Planned Parenthood announced that after 12 years of service to the organization, Cecile Richards has informed the Planned Parenthood Federation Board of Directors that she will be stepping down as president in 2018. Under Richards’ leadership, Planned Parenthood has grown stronger than ever.
Statement from Vincent Russell, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic
“Cecile Richards has propelled Planned Parenthood to new heights in health care, education, and advocacy. Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) thanks Cecile for her 12 years of service at the helm of the organization; her leadership, dedication, and impact on women’s health and rights is unmatched. In part because of her work at the national level, PPHP is well-positioned to continue fulfilling our mission of delivering high-quality, accessible sexual and reproductive health care and ensuring reproductive freedom.”
Statement from Cecile Richards:
“Leading Planned Parenthood over the last 12 years has been the honor of my lifetime. Together, we have made real progress in this country, expanding access to services and making reproductive rights a central priority of our nation’s health care system. I’m deeply proud of the progress we’ve made for the millions of people Planned Parenthood health centers serve across the country each year. Planned Parenthood has been a trusted resource in this country for more than a century, and I will be leaving the organization well-positioned to serve and fight for our patients for a century more. Every day we see the incredible power that grassroots voices can have — there has never been a better moment to be an activist. You can bet I’ll be marching right alongside them, continuing to travel around the country advocating for the basic rights and health care that all people deserve. I’ve been an activist my entire life — and that won’t stop any time soon.”
During Cecile’s time as president, she grew Planned Parenthood’s base of supporters from 3 million to 11 million, and she helped to build the organization’s donor base to its largest ever. She has led efforts to create new ways for Planned Parenthood patients to get the care they need, through the technology they use every day. She made sure Planned Parenthood was at the forefront of efforts to expand access to birth control and preventive care under the Affordable Care Act. And today, the nation is at a 30-year low for unintended pregnancy in the U.S.
During that same time, PPHP has expanded the services it offers patients to meet their growing needs, the education and training programs delivered to young people and professionals who work with them, and advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels.
Over the last several years, Planned Parenthood’s mission of providing health care to people across the country has come under attack by politicians bent on ending access to reproductive health care. Cecile Richards has led the organization’s efforts to defend and extend women’s access to health care, including access to birth control.