The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #162: Cecile Richards on Troublemaker Moms

In September 2015, when Cecile Richards was getting ready to testify before congress, she taped a photo of her kids inside her notebook, and put on a pin that used belong to her mom. The pin looks a lot like a metal sheriff’s badge.

Back then, Cecile was the president of Planned Parenthood. And at the time of the hearing, the nation had fewer unplanned pregnancies than it had in 30 years. But Cecile was asked to defend her salary. She was told by one congressman, “Surely you don’t expect us to be easier on you because you’re a woman?”

She replied, “Absolutely not. That’s not how my mama raised me.”

Tune in to hear our conversation with Cecile Richards. She’ll share what it was like to watch her mom, Ann Richards, transform from housewife to governor of Texas, what they used to fight about when Cecile was a teen, and what Ann told young Cecile about the birds and the bees.

Books by Cecile and Ann Richards

Cecile Richards is the author of Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead–My Life Story, a book with a #lifegoals title and honest insights into what it’s like to balance a high power career and motherhood.

Ann Richards is the author of the punchy memoir Straight from the Heart, which follows her journey from small-town Texas to the stage of her infamous keynote before the Democratic National Committee. It’s a hoot.