WASHINGTON — Former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards has been awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

Richards–whose mother was former Texas Gov. Ann Richards–appeared in a photo post announcing the award alongside President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and her husband, Kirk Adams.

Biden said in the post on X, formerly Twitter, that he had the honor of awarding the Medal of Freedom to Richards for “her work 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.”

Richards ran Planned Parenthood for 12 years before she stepped down in 2018. She has been heavily involved in both Texas and national politics, serving as Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff and founding multiple nonprofits and political action groups aimed at promoting progressive issues. 

At the beginning of this year, Richards announced she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. It is the same cancer that killed Biden’s son Beau and his friend, former Arizona Sen. John McCain.

When Richards announced her diagnosis, she said it made clear to her what’s important in life.

“And there is no more important work right now than the fight for abortion rights,” Richards said in a post on Instagram. 

Richards went on to say that she feels lucky to be doing the work to fight for abortion access.

“I believe, as I always have, that activism, organizing, and troublemaking are a great way to spend your one wild and precious life,” Richards said. “After all, as my mother used to say: ‘Why should your life be just about you?’”

Some other notable Texans that Biden has awarded the Medal of Freedom during his presidency are Simone Biles, Opal Lee and Julieta Garcia. At 25 years old, Biles became the youngest person to ever receive the medal.