Minnesota State Representative Ruth Richardson has been named the CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS), which includes Minnesota, by a unanimous board vote. She will officially move into the role on October 6th.
Richardson replaces Sarah Stoesz, a registered lobbyist, who held the position for the last 21 years. “Stoesz will remain as president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and will oversee the organization’s political operations as long as Richardson is in office,” according to the Des Moines Register.
Richardson, a Democrat, is currently serving her second term in Minnesota’s House of Representatives and is running for re-election in November.
“Taking on this new role in this new post-Roe world definitely comes with some uncertainty and some challenges, but I’m really excited to step into this role because I know how important the work that Planned Parenthood does and has been doing for decades [is],” she said.
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Richardson has claimed she will not lobby on behalf of Planned Parenthood, and that she will recuse herself from votes that directly impact the organization’s bottom line. “For example, I would recuse myself if there was a bill to directly give money to Planned Parenthood,” Richardson told reporters. Richardson said she would differentiate between “broad policy issues that sort of effect [sic] everyone versus a specific issue.” Richardson does not plan to recuse herself from votes related to general abortion policy.
Minnesota GOP spokesman Nick Majerus called Richardson’s acceptance of the position “a clear conflict of interest and a disservice to her constituents.”
According to Fox 9, Planned Parenthood “is in the process of adding abortion services in Minnesota,” as many neighboring states have restricted abortion in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “Right now, the focus is really on ensuring there is access to abortion care,” Richardson said.
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