Cecile Richards is resigning as president of Planned Parenthood, Buzzfeed reported Wednesday. Richards, 60, led Planned Parenthood for over 10 years. 

She confirmed the reports in a statement Friday, calling her time as president “the honor of my lifetime.”

“Together, we have made real progress in this country,” she said, “expanding access to services and making reproductive rights a central priority of our nation’s health care system.”

She said she’ll continue “advocating for the basic rights and health care that all people deserve.”

NEW: Planned Parenthood Pres. Cecile Richards announces she is stepping down. "I will be leaving the organization well-positioned to serve and fight for our patients for a century more," she says. pic.twitter.com/7ic8ZekEM1

— ABC News (@ABC) January 26, 2018

Founded in 1916 by eugenicist Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood has existed for over a century. But under Richards’ leadership, it became a much more dynamic political action group.

Richards bolstered Planned Parenthood’s “fundraising and organizing capabilities,” Buzzfeed reports. She also spear-headed celebrity campaigns. And thanks to Richards, the organization is now closely linked with the Democratic Party.

Numbers Declining

But even as Planned Parenthood’s activism grew under Richards, its services continued to shrink. Its most recent report indicated that its U.S. facilities dropped from “nearly 650 health centers” to “more than 600.” In 1995, Planned Parenthood had 938 facilities nationwide. Today, there are just 597, according to the American Life League.

Richards often claims that Planned Parenthood provides prenatal care and cancer screenings as part of its “health care.” That’s misleading. Their non-abortive services have been in steady decline for years. 

Between 2004 and 2014, Planned Parenthood’s abortions increased by 27 percent. In the same time frame, its breast cancer screenings dropped by 60 percent. Pap tests dropped by 77 percent. 

Between 2009 and 2017, its prenatal services dropped from 40,000 to less than 8,000. Its adoption referrals amounted to a mere 3,889. 

Its abortions, however, account for one-third entire nation’s. Last year, Planned Parenthood performed 321,384 abortions. 

All told, Life Site News estimates Planned Parenthood aborted 3.5 million children under Richards’ watch. 

Fetal Tissue Scandal

As the numbers reveal, Planned Parenthood’s services have been dwindling for years. Recent scandals certainly haven’t helped. Namely, the undercover videos published by Center for Medial Progress. The videos, first released in 2015, reveal that Planned Parenthood participated in the illegal sale of fetal tissue.

Buzzfeed calls the videos “heavily edited.” But analyses show that the videos are not deceptively edited. As Alexandra DeSanctis at National Review explains, two studies closely examined the videos.

Fusion GPS conducted the first study. It was commissioned by Planned Parenthood itself. DeSanctis summarizes, “the Fusion report actually states that the audio was not tampered with.”

The second study reported similar findings. It was commissioned by Alliance Defending Freedom and completed by Coalfire Systems, Inc. It found that any edits were “non-pertinent.”

The videos inspired several congressional investigations. As a result, the Department of Justice is now investigating Planned Parenthood and the sale of fetal tissue.