n a private ceremony on Wednesday, President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to abortion activist and former president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, The Washington Times reports. Biden praised Richards as a leader of “some of our nation’s most important civil rights causes” as she advocated for abortion rights across the country.
Richards, who was the head of Planned Parenthood for 12 years from 2006 to 2018, was caught up in the widely publicized scandal in 2015 when a senior staff member was caught on camera talking about how the organization accepted money in exchange for fetal tissue said to be used in medical research.
“The revelation touched off a political firestorm and Ms. Richards apologized for the tone of the staff member and Planned Parenthood altered its fetal tissue sales policies in response. Selling fetal tissue for profit is illegal under U.S. law, though no prosecutions came of this instance,” according to The Washington Times.
Planned Parenthood has been consistently under attack by pro-life advocates who find the actions of the nation’s leading provider of abortions unacceptable.
Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, slammed Biden’s cowardly move as a “dark chapter” in the final moments of his presidency which he called one of the “darkest presidencies in American history when it comes to protecting mothers and unborn children.”
“Planned Parenthood has used billions of taxpayer dollars to profit from the tragic extermination of millions of children, while exploiting the health and wellbeing of countless women,” he added.
Burch further condemned the decision to award Richards the Medal of Freedom stating that abortion is the “antithesis of freedom that no person of compassion or conscience should stoop to honor, let alone the President of the United States.”
Emily Erin Davis, vice president of communication for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, also called out Biden’s move as the wrong decision noting that “Planned Parenthood ended more than 3.8 million unborn lives.” In her statement, Davis advocated to end Planned-Parenthood’s “taxpayer-funded ride.”
Despite the protest and apparently aware of how disgusted pro-life Americans are with Planned Parenthood given the private ceremony, Biden still found it necessary and appropriate to honor Richards and her work with the organization.
Biden described Richards as “a leader of the utmost character,” who has “carved an inspiring legacy that endures in her incredible family, the countless lives she has made better and a nation seeking the light of equality, justice and freedom.”
Given the numerous lives that were ended because of Planned Parenthood, as pointed out by critics, Biden’s statement and the honor he bestowed upon Richards is particularly puzzling to those wondering how the former head of the organization has been highlighted as a figure who seeks “equality, justice and freedom.”