Cecile Richards
Age: 53
Occupation: President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0
The Republican wave that defined the 2010 midterm elections gave pro-life activists more allies in office, and they're not letting those new majorities go to waste. Reproductive rights, and Planned Parenthood specifically, are being targeted, and Richards is leading the effort to resist a vigorous push to cut funding for family planning. A campaign to film Planned Parenthood workers handing out misguided advice was made public in February, just as congressional Republicans were taking steps to cut funding for the group on the basis that federal dollars should not be used for abortions. (Planned Parenthood's federal money is already segregated from its abortion services.) Richards' battle on behalf of her organization will continue this year, not only in Washington but also in statehouses across the country where Republican-controlled legislatures are aiming to limit access to abortions and increase hurdles for women seeking them.