Justice delayed. Never denied | WORLD
Logo
Sound journalism, grounded in facts and Biblical truth | Donate

Justice delayed. Never denied

The death of Cecile Richards should remind us all of our accountability before God


Cecile Richards announcing Planned Parenthood’s endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 Associated Press / Photo by Steven Senne, file

Justice delayed. Never denied
You have {{ remainingArticles }} free {{ counterWords }} remaining. You've read all of your free articles.

Full access isn’t far.

We can’t release more of our sound journalism without a subscription, but we can make it easy for you to come aboard.

Get started for as low as $3.99 per month.

Current WORLD subscribers can log in to access content. Just go to "SIGN IN" at the top right.

LET'S GO

Already a member? Sign in.

Cecile Richards has died. On Jan. 20, as Americans woke up to prepare for the 60th presidential inauguration, her family announced her passing from glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer with which she was diagnosed in 2023. She fought hard and succumbed at the age of 67, leaving behind her husband and three daughters.

Richards is the daughter of Ann Richards, the 45th governor of Texas and only the second woman to hold that job. Gov. Richards had a quick wit, a great sense of humor, and was an assertive progressive Democratic partisan. In 1994, George W. Bush defeated Richards, earning him scorn from not just Democrats but also the American press, the members of which loved Richards and treated her as an American icon.

Ann Richards’ daughter would attract much of that press affection. Her mother oversaw her progressive education, sending her to a very liberal Episcopal school in Austin, Texas, after she was disciplined in a public school for protesting the Vietnam War. Steeped in abortion politics at an early age, the Richards mother and daughter campaigned for Roe v. Wade lawyer Sarah Weddington, who ran for the Texas Legislature. Cecile Richards then served as deputy chief of staff for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and, ultimately, helmed Planned Parenthood, helping the abortion group not just advocate for abortion but also for transgenderism.

Cecile Richard’s life was devoted to the sacraments of left-wing orthodoxy. She could hardly escape it as the daughter of Ann Richards. In embracing that life, she earned celebrity status on the left. Her children were elevated into Democratic Party politics. Her husband was a labor organizer for the Service Employees International Union. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden and was once on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

All of us will stand before the mercy seat. All of us will know God.

There is nothing to write of Richards’ faith. Her religion in the public eye was progressive politics. It defined her and gave her status. She leaves all that behind now to face the God of all Creation. Lots of social media commentators made jokes about Richards’ end and accountability. Where Richards ends up is between Richards and God. But there can be no doubt that God is a God of justice. That should give us all peace but also remind us that, to quote Maximus Decimus Meridius, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

Psalm 73 is a psalm of Asaph and a meditation on the world of those who scoff at the things of God. Asaph looks at those who are worldly and, for a time, is a bit jealous. He sees that those who dedicate themselves to God and worship faithfully often have less of a station in life than those who devote themselves to the things of the world. Asaph, however, realizes that this is an act of mercy.

God, being a merciful God, often allows those who reject Him to have a great life in this world. It will be, after all, the best they ever have it. For believers, this world is the worst they will ever have it. All of us will stand before the mercy seat. All of us will know God.

Cecile Richards has now seen the face of God Almighty who spoke the universe into being. She has faced accountability for her life—an accountability none of us will escape. In our world, justice is imperfect. In Plato’s Republic, Thrasymachus argued that in this world, justice works for the powerful. It often seems so. But in Scripture, Christ makes clear real justice comes for all. No one can escape it. “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

We should pray for the Richards family. They have lost a mother and a wife. We should also remember that, in ways we cannot, God can and will hold Richards and all of us accountable. That should make us tremble but also give us peace. A perfect God executes perfect justice.


Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson is a lawyer by training, has been a political campaign manager and consultant, helped start one of the premiere grassroots conservative websites in the world, served as a political contributor for CNN and Fox News, and hosts the Erick Erickson Show broadcast nationwide.


Read the Latest from WORLD Opinions

Jonathon Van Maren | Social conservatives appear to still have a seat at the table in the new conservative coalition

Joseph Backholm | We need more than a mutual disdain for the left to build a strong civilization

Anne Kennedy | The people of Los Angeles deserve better than the DEI disaster that is the LA Fire Department

Rachel Roth Aldhizer | Doubling up on an emergency contraceptive could replace mifepristone

COMMENT BELOW

Please wait while we load the latest comments...

Comments