Planned Parenthood Was Always Meant to Be Controversial
Folded onto a narrow wooden bench at a hip taco joint in downtown Washington, Cecile Richards doesn’t look much like someone taking a victory lap after stepping down from one of the highest-profile, most politically contentious jobs in America. Knocking back a Mineragua club soda, the brand-new ex-CEO of Planned Parenthood is deep in conversation with her press secretary about the Trump administration’s move to overhaul the Title X family-planning program. Having already shifted grant guidelines to include groups promoting abstinence and “fertility awareness” (you know: the rhythm method), Trump is now toying with the idea of barring funding to groups that provide abortion services, referrals, or even information. Earlier in the day, Planned Parenthood had filed a lawsuit to stop such changes.
As I join them, Richards is also struggling to determine if her new cell phone will fit into her old hot-pink phone case. She jokes that she hasn’t yet adjusted to “civilian life”—new phone, new schedule, new focus. She’s still on what she mockingly calls her “farewell tour,” filled with interviews and other appearances commemorating her 12 years as the public face of women’s reproductive rights. (Plus, she’s been out plugging her new memoir, titled, fittingly, .) Taking a break is not on today’s agenda. The 60-year-old Texan radiates a low thrum of electricity, an air
