Talking Reproductive Rights with

Cecile Richards

By Margaret Michniewicz

Cecile Richards, daughter of the illustrious former Texas Governor Ann Richards, became the new President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) on February 15. Exactly one week later, South Dakota passed legislation banning nearly all abortions, with several other states subsequently queuing up to follow suit; and on March 8, Ann Richards announced she had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. Cecile spoke with Vermont Woman about her career and the challenges she is now poised to tackle.

Becoming president of PPFA is yet another step in Richards’ life-long journey advocating for all human rights. She has been at the forefront of the fight to protect reproductive rights. She formed and served as president of Pro-Choice Vote, the largest “Section 527” political committee of the 2000 election. Richards also founded the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) in the 1990s, a network of over 10,000 community and clergy leaders organized in response to the rising anti-choice radical conservative movement in Texas, and she has served on the board of directors of many organizations, including NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Richards has also served in Mexico and Panama in political observer groups during those nations’ presidential elections, and gave an address to the European Union concerning religious fundamentalism.

As the new President of PPFA, Cecile Richards enhances her already extraordinary career, while also furthering the Richards’ family tradition of activism for social justice. Welcome, Ms. Richards.

VW: What are the ways that the Honorable Ann Richards – as mother and as civic/political leader – has been responsible for your path in political activism? And are there ways that your approaches have diverged? Did you ever have to rebel?

CR: My mother’s commitment to social justice was central to forming my values and beliefs. I have great admiration for people who devote their lives to public service.
Heading Planned Parenthood Federation of America, an organization I believe in greatly, and working to protect the reproductive rights of all Americans, is the best way for me to contribute to society.

VW: While Vermont is assumed to be staunchly pro-choice, nothing can be taken for granted. Vermonters will want to do what they can to counter the anti-choice forces at work in other states – what are ways this can be done? Also, what should we be doing to guard our own backyard flank?

CR: For 90 years, Planned Parenthood has been working in communities all across the country meeting people’s basic health needs. We provide preventive and reproductive health care and information for nearly five million women, men, and teens each year, despite the onslaught of attacks. Can you imagine how much more Planned Parenthood could accomplish if we didn’t have to fight these political attacks on women’s health?
You are right — Vermont is a pro-choice state. Vermonters have been lucky to have politicians on both sides of the aisle [who] recognize the importance of reproductive rights, such as increased access to emergency contraception. But we can’t take anything for granted. All across the country, anti-choice advocates and groups are working to chip away access to reproductive health care.

I plan to use every advanced strategy that we have available to fight battles when necessary, but we can’t do it alone. We need pro-choice Americans to join with Planned Parenthood to advocate for medically accurate sex education, prevention, and reproductive rights. The abortion ban in South Dakota is just one example of why it is so important for pro-choice Americans to stand up for women and families all across the country.

VW: You have begun “Cecile’s Blog” on the ppfa.org Web site, which people can refer to. What are your goals for this forum?

CR: The Internet is such a great tool! Unlike speeches or press releases, the blogs on our website are a more informal forum, allowing us to be frank about the challenges we face during this crucial time in the battle to protect reproductive health and rights. We use blogs to communicate quickly with activists and supporters across the country.

VW: Speaking of Blogs: one of Huffington Post’s regulars, Jane Hamsher, has been condemning Planned Parenthood and NARAL in recent months most vociferously.
For example, here are excerpts from her Feb. 24 posting:

“NARAL and Planned Parenthood Are Now the Enemies of Pro-Choice” Feb. 24, 2006.
They sat back, bilked their membership like an ATM then didn’t show up to fight Alito’s confirmation... Worse yet, afterwards they told their members to thank those in the Senate — like Joe Lieberman — who cast their votes to let this happen….
Contact NARAL and Planned Parenthood and tell them you are cutting them off until they denounce the members of the Gang of 14, yank their funding and use that money to support Senate candidates who will actually stand up to George Bush and the bullies of the Republican party next time there is a Supreme Court vacancy…
(the full text is available here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/naral-and-planned-parenth_b_16277.html)

How do you respond to these charges? Should Vermonters who want to ensure the preservation of abortion legality, who only have limited financial resources, contribute to specific candidates or large organizations like PPFA?

CR: Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a non-partisan organization that first and foremost is a health care organization. We believe it is important to work with all politicians — even when we don’t necessarily agree with them on all the issues — because our patients depend on us and on the availability of access to services.
Our advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which supports candidates, must always examine that support through the health care lens. Giving to organizations that have high thresholds for supporting candidates builds the kind of political strength necessary to hold politicians accountable once they are in office. Donors who contribute to the Action Fund have the opportunity to send a message through this strong political organization that they care passionately about women’s health and rights. When the Action Fund makes the difference in elections, candidates recognize the importance of this constituency and the issues.

VW: What have you found to be the views on abortion in European nations? How does one negotiate advocating for abortion rights in the face of sex-selection abortion that is reportedly standard practice in places such as China?

CR: Women seek abortions for myriad reasons. Moreover, women will seek abortions regardless of its legal status. And when abortion is illegal, it is much more likely to be unsafe and harmful to women’s health. Our priority has always been to protect and promote women’s health, to protect and promote their ability to make informed decisions, and to protect and promote their ability to access reproductive health care options.
When we hear about sex selection, and know that in many countries there is a profound preference for males, we know that our struggles to eliminate gender discrimination and achieve true gender equality are not over. But restricting access to abortion will not bring about this necessary change. It will increase the likelihood that the abortions sought by women — for any reason — will be unsafe and therefore harmful to their health.

VW: If politics is compromise, and the pro-choice movement were to meet the other side half-way – for instance, agreeing to work on reduction of abortions – what are strategic ways to call upon the other side to also meet halfway, for instance in pushing for sex education, uninhibited access to contraception?

CR: Contraception and education are our two best tools for reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, and therefore the number of abortions. This is something that both sides should be able to agree on. Unfortunately, many anti-choice groups are also anti-prevention — they oppose access to contraception and medically accurate sex education. We need the pro-choice majority to demand state and federal funding for family planning and education and to demand that pharmacists fill prescriptions for birth control. We need you to write to your legislator, to talk to your local pharmacist about stocking emergency contraception, and to contact your school boards. We know this can work. Just recently, Wal-Mart reversed its previous policy and is now stocking emergency contraception in all of its stores. Wal-Mart heard the demands of Planned Parenthood, but more importantly of its customers.

VW: Who are allies in Congress who might be on the fence and just need to hear that the nation is behind them if they stick their neck out for choice? Who are the most serious enemies?
CR: Planned Parenthood is a non-partisan health care organization that, unfortunately, has been dragged into a political fight. The majority of Americans support a woman’s right to choose, but their voices have been relatively silent compared to the anti-choice minority. We need to support the positions taken by pro-choice politicians from both parties and look for coalition partners on a wide spectrum of issues. The fight for reproductive rights includes providing low-cost health care to women and families — it is about providing young people and adults with medically accurate information to help them make responsible decisions. These are issues that cross party lines.
VW: What is your take on Justice Roberts? What’s your gut feeling about where he’ll go with Roe v. Wade?

CR: Planned Parenthood opposed the nomination of Chief Justice Roberts to the Supreme Court because during his confirmation hearings he repeatedly refused to voice his position on reproductive rights. Now that he is on the bench, we want him to uphold protections for women’s health and the right to choose. The next opportunity to see where he stands on the issue will be when the Supreme Court reviews Gonzales v. Carhart, a case challenging the federal ban that would criminalize abortions as early as 12 to 15 weeks in pregnancy with no exception for women’s health. In the interim, Planned Parenthood will continue to fight for legislation that protects the rights of women and families.

VW: Recently, a lawyer I was talking with suggested that “feminists” and pro-choice advocates in general also endorse the idea that a pregnant woman who is attacked, and her fetus injured or killed, will claim assault on two lives. He contends it can’t be had both ways. What are your thoughts?

CR: Arguments that an assault on a pregnant woman is actually an assault on two lives are used by anti-choice groups, shifting the focus away from the women who are the victims of these crimes.

VW: In the face of all these sober challenges, how do you personally cope? What inspires you to keep on fighting, what do you do to get through the day?

CR: Within the first few weeks of beginning this position, South Dakota legislators passed the most sweeping ban on abortion since the days prior to Roe v. Wade. Now, 11 other states have proposed similar laws criminalizing abortion. I have been overwhelmed with the flood of calls from supporters around the world who are shocked and angered by the actions of politicians who are putting politics ahead of women’s health. A woman from South Dakota wrote in to say that she drove more than an hour in order to sign the petition to have this law put on the ballot so that she can voice her outrage at the ballot box. I will fight on behalf of our patients and their families, some of whom have to travel for hours to reach our clinics and are forced to face harassment from extremists at an already difficult time.

VW: What are you reading currently, and what book do you most recommend?

CR: I am currently reading The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman.

I love the works of Maya Angelou, which have inspired me throughout my life. I first read Why the Caged Bird Sings when I was in seventh grade. In large part, her inspirational story, as well as my upbringing, led me to begin my career after college by organizing low-wage women in the south — many of whom had the same spirit, tenacity, and challenges as Maya did, and many of whom also persevered and had families and were the hardest working, most honorable people I know. Now, working for Planned Parenthood, I feel as if my life has come full circle, and I am helping to provide health care services to the women I spent many years with, thanks to what I learned from Maya.