Outgoing Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said Monday that it’s still possible for pro-life Democrats to survive in the party.
"CBS This Morning" host John Dickerson asked Richards why pro-life Democrats have disappeared, but she rejected the premise of the question. Pressed about whether anyone who supports restrictions on abortion can win as a Democrat, she said she was not sure.
"I don't know," she said. "There are people running all across the country."
She distinguished between having "personal feelings about abortion" and wanting to legislate restrictions on the procedure. She argued that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision providing the right to an abortion has "overwhelming support."
"It’s a very personal topic and I certainly respect that, but it's different to say that you want the government to tell women and pregnant people what they can do," she said. "And that’s where I think, actually, there's overwhelming support now for Roe v. Wade, the highest that there’s ever been in this country, including among Republicans."
Richards expressed openness to those, such as Congressman-elect Conor Lamb (D., Penn.), who are "personally pro-life" but oppose restrictions on abortion.
"I think it's the difference between respecting people’s personal opinion and what you want the government to actually do," she said.
She also pivoted to her excitement about women’s increasing involvement in politics, promoting her memoir Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead.
"One thing that's been encouraging this year, and I write about it in my book, is the record number of women running for office," she said. "I've never seen the outpouring of women being not only candidates but activists. I think it's an exciting time."
She also said that "if half of Congress could get pregnant, we would quit fighting about birth control and Planned Parenthood, and we would move onto other issues."
Richards and others on the left supported a pro-choice primary challenger last month against Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.), who is one of only three pro-life Democrats in Congress.
"It’s clear that the people of Illinois’ 3rd District cannot afford to have someone like Lipinski in office," Richards said in a statement.
Lipinski said, "Democrats have chased people out of the party" over the party's commitment to abortion.