Former Planned Parenthood boss, Sen. Murray acclaim power of women; Supreme Court may take it away

When America arrives at a time when "half of Congress can get pregnant," gone will be efforts to restrict or eliminate women's reproductive rights, former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a Seattle appearance on Monday.

"That day is coming," said Richards, who defended the country's largest provider of health services to women at a time when it came under concerted attack from Republicans and the Trump administration.

She spoke, however, as the U.S. Supreme Court in the "other" Washington takes up a Louisiana case that could effectively repeal in many states the 1973 Roe Vs. Wade decision in which the high court legalized abortion across the country.

Richards was in town for Sen. Patty Murray's 24th annual Golden Tennis Shoes awards luncheon, a political fundraiser at which achievements of ordinary Washingtonians are recognized and celebrated.

The ex-Planned Parenthood boss talked about American being at "a desperate moment," but then turned bullish about how a women's place will be in the house, namely the House and Senate. The 2018 election saw a record 126 women elected to Congress.

"It isn't just the future of women in America, it is the present," Richards said, noting that 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of women (white women at the time) getting the right to vote.

The Supreme Court began its fall term in Washington, D.C., on Monday. The court has agreed to hear the legal test to a Louisiana law that requires that physicians who perform abortions have admitting privileges to a nearby hospital.

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