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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The family and friends of Cecile Richards, who |
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passed away on January 20, 2025, at the age of 67, may find comfort |
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in reflecting on her remarkable life's journey; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Waco on July 15, 1957, Cecile Richards was |
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the daughter of Ann Richards, who later served as the governor of |
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Texas, and David Richards, a civil rights attorney; following in |
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her parents' footsteps, she took up political activism while still |
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a teenager and was disciplined by her high school for protesting the |
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Vietnam War; after earning her degree from Brown University in |
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1980, she became a labor organizer; she later founded the Texas |
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Freedom Network, a progressive grassroots organization, and served |
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as deputy chief of staff to U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2006, Ms. Richards was appointed president of the |
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Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and she also served as |
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president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund; in those roles, |
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she became one of the leading voices in the debate over reproductive |
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health, and throughout her 12-year tenure, she valiantly upheld the |
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importance of the organization's services and defended the rights |
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of the women and families that it served; and |
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WHEREAS, After concluding her service with Planned |
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Parenthood in 2018, Ms. Richards founded Supermajority, an |
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organization dedicated to encouraging more women to enter politics, |
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and published a memoir, Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, |
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and Finding the Courage to Lead; in 2024, she was presented with a |
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Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, |
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by President Joe Biden; she is survived by her husband, Kirk Adams, |
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her children, Lily, Hannah, and Daniel, a grandchild, and her |
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siblings, Ellen, Clark, and Dan Richards; and |
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WHEREAS, Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of |
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one person's life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark |
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on the world as they move through it, and the exceptional |
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contributions of Cecile Richards will continue to resonate for |
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years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Cecile Richards and |
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extend sincere condolences to all who mourn her passing; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Cecile |
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Richards. |