Anti-choice legislators today blocked the memorial resolution of Cecile Richards, the founder of Texas Freedom Network and former president of Planned Parenthood.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2025
CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/her), emily@tfn.org
AUSTIN, Texas — During the Texas House Resolutions Memorial calendar meeting, several legislators today blocked the memorial resolution of Cecile Richards, the founder of Texas Freedom Network and former president of Planned Parenthood.
Richards, who passed away earlier this year, was widely recognized nationally for her decades of advocacy for reproductive rights, healthcare access, and social justice. The unusual move to obstruct a memorial resolution—a type of recognition typically passed without controversy—came as the House was considering routine memorial resolutions.
Texas Freedom Network Executive Director Felicia Martin (she/her/ella) issued the following response:
“Cecile Richards would have laughed.
“She would have seen the charade for exactly what it was: a desperate attempt by small-minded, predominantly men, to tarnish the legacy of a giant. The performative outrage from Representatives Toth, Tinderholt, Hopper, Luther, Olcott, and others doesn’t diminish her legacy—it confirms it. Because when people this committed to restricting freedom feel the need to block a simple memorial resolution, you know the person they’re trying to erase mattered.
“Cecile spent her life making good trouble. From founding the Texas Freedom Network to leading Planned Parenthood, she stood up to bullies, expanded healthcare access, and built movements that changed lives. She didn’t need their permission to lead, and she certainly doesn’t need their approval to be remembered.
“Let’s be clear: While these lawmakers used taxpayer time and resources to throw a tantrum, Cecile was being honored in far more important ways—in the courage of young organizers, in the power of every person who can access reproductive care because of her work, in every Texan who believes faith and freedom can coexist. Her vision lives on through the work of the Texas Freedom Network—an organization she founded to take on extremists and fight for a more just, inclusive Texas.
“These legislators can try to erase her from the record, but they only amplify her presence. And frankly, we think she’d be delighted by how scared they still are of her power.
“Cecile Richards made history. These people just made fools of themselves. We’ll keep saying her name—with pride, with power, and with purpose.”
