Giving Cecile Richards the Medal of Freedom is Like Awarding Putin Nobel Peace Prize
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden presented former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards with the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor.
In a private White House ceremony, Biden said Richards “led some of our nation’s most important civil rights causes — to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote.”
Rarely has so much deception been packed so tightly and densely into a single sentence.
Under Richards’ watch at Planned Parenthood, over 3.5 million innocent children were killed – children who will never be given an opportunity to live, dream, create, invent, work, and vote.
The Medal of Freedom was first established by President Harry Truman, who initiated the honor to recognize citizens whose actions proved instrumental in America’s victory in World War II. President Kennedy expanded the scope of the special designation, morphing it into what’s now known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Over 600 Americans have received the prestigious award. Past recipients have included the writer E.B. White, poet T.S. Eliot, Helen Keller, Dr. Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, William F. Buckley, Pope John Paul II, Rush Limbaugh and Steve Jobs.
And now, Cecile Richards.
During the first Trump administration, Richards refused a White House proposal to separate out their abortion business from the other services they falsely tout as being the primary basis for the abortion juggernaut. They often talk about “women’s health” but the most lucrative of their services is abortion.
According to reports, Richards told Ivanka Trump, “There is no way what you are describing is going to happen. Our mission is to care for women who need us, and that means caring for all their reproductive needs — including safe and legal abortion.”
Once more Richards tried to make it sound like abortion was secondary at Planned Parenthood, when it’s primary. Which is why they outright rejected the White House proposal, fearful the fungible federal funds they receive would no longer be funneled to their abortion mill efforts.
The medal that was placed around Richards’ neck is a bronze disc that includes a profile of the Statue of Freedom that rests atop the U.S. Capitol Building. The word “freedom” in all capital letters rings the bottom. An image of the Liberty Bell is on the reverse side.
The irony of presenting a medal proclaiming a founding principle of “freedom” to an individual whose actions have enslaved millions of women to the horrors and lifetime regret of abortion is tragic and heartbreaking.
The spectacle of celebrating a legacy of death at the White House makes clear just how much work and prayer remains for the pro-life movement.
President Biden referred to Richards as “A leader of utmost character” whose legacy includes the “countless lives she has made better, and a nation seeking the light of equality, justice, and freedom.”
Using soft words to describe dark and wicked deeds is the hallmark of a spiritually blind and broken culture.
Nevertheless, the pro-life movement marches on, embracing the words of the apostle Paul, who urged believers in Rome, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
Image credit: the White House
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul J. Batura is a writer and vice president of communications for Focus on the Family. He’s authored numerous books including “Chosen for Greatness: How Adoption Changes the World,” “Good Day! The Paul Harvey Story” and “Mentored by the King: Arnold Palmer's Success Lessons for Golf, Business, and Life.” Paul can be reached via email: [email protected] or Twitter @PaulBatura
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