By Dave Andrusko

Cecile Richards

Tip of the hat to Life News for reporting this afternoon that “In a new email today to donors of the Planned Parenthood abortion business, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards confirms that she is indeed resigning.”  Her email “includes a video with her remarks thanking Planned Parenthood supporters for their dedication during her 12 years leading the abortion company.”

The entirety of her remarks is posted at the end of this story. (Please read Dr. Randall K. O’Bannon’s post. It is Part One of Two and NRLC’s director of education & research puts Richards’ “legacy” in its proper perspective.)

Here are a few thoughts.

#1. No one except Ms. Richards, her family, and various insiders know the exact reasons why after 12 years she is stepping down from a post that pays her nearly $1 million dollars in compensation and affords her enormous political clout with pro-abortion Democrats. She could simply be worn out, or (as is more likely) it could be much more complicated.

#2. Richards, the daughter of Ann Richards, who preceded George W. Bush as governor of Texas (and lost to him in her bid for re-election), is a polished pro. When she testified about the kind of grotesque things prominent PPFA officials said about harvesting fetal tissue and organs, it was a masterpiece of half-answers, feigned victimhood, and answering questions that were not asked. That was one very important reason she was paid so lavishly.

#3. Richards could well simply shift gears, essentially move sideways. She already heads the Planned Parenthood Action Fund which pours oodles of money into promoting pro-abortion campaigners. Richards might devote all her time to this—and she is unquestionably an accomplished fundraiser. And

#4. Richards presided over a massive change in the landscape of the largest provider of abortions. In 2005, the year before she became CEO, Planned Parenthood aborted just over one-fifth (22%) of all the babies killed in the United States. By 2016, they aborted more than one-third (35%). She did this largely by consolidation, shedding smaller PPFA-affiliated clinics (many of whom did not perform abortion), and replacing them with gigantic “megaclinics.”

Richards did all this as the overall “market” continued to thankfully shrink to below a million abortions a year. PPFA now mass produces the deaths of defenseless children in the same way another “manufacturer” would produce widgets. It is no exaggeration to call Planned Parenthood an abortion behemoth.

What follows is a transcript of Ms. Richards’s remarks delivered by video to Planned Parenthood supporters as provided by Life News.

I want you to be among the first to hear from me that I will be stepping down from my position as president of Planned Parenthood this year.

After 12 incredible years working alongside some of the most committed and compassionate people in the world, the time has come for me to move on to my next chapter — and for new voices to take the lead at Planned Parenthood.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to be a part of this movement with you, and with the millions of people who stand with Planned Parenthood to protect and expand access to care.

Over the past decade, we have faced down challenges that once seemed impossible to overcome. We have found new ways to lift up our voices and speak our truth. And most important of all, we have helped Planned Parenthood patients receive care they simply could not get anywhere else.

And through it all, through thrilling victories and moments of mourning, we have stood shoulder to shoulder together. What a profound privilege it has been — to stand with you, to work with you, to celebrate and grieve and build hope with you. I said it on my first day here, and I have never forgotten it: people like you are the heart and soul of this organization.

It’s because of your dedication that I know Planned Parenthood will continue to grow and thrive, and to lead the fight for our health and rights. We will need you to keep speaking out when lawmakers threaten access to care. We will need you to keep supporting the health centers that so many patients rely on. We will need every ounce of your courage, your compassion, and your commitment to help ensure that every person can control their own body and decide their own future.

And though I will be stepping down from my leadership role, believe me when I say that I will be with you every step of the way. No matter what.

Thank you for everything you have done and will do to defend our health and rights. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.