Betty Cockrum
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD
OF INDIANA & KENTUCKY (2002-2017)
OF INDIANA & KENTUCKY (2002-2017)
Betty led Planned Parenthood in Indiana for 15 years (2002-2017) and in 2013, following the merger with Kentucky oversaw our work in both states. Betty was a fierce advocate for reproductive rights and abortion access and took every opportunity to educate and inform people about Planned Parenthood. She fought tirelessly to make emergency contraception available over the counter. She also fought to make sure patients could use Medicaid for health care services. She advocated for comprehensive sex education, and the importance of preventive health care.
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Betty was a proud Hoosier and she never shied away from public debate or private meetings with opponents of affordable, reproductive health care. She has gone toe-to-toe with anti-choice legislators in the Statehouse, and battled extremists in Congress who want to trample on women’s rights. She led the organization through legal battles that sought to take away basic health care rights and brought light to the importance of caring for reproductive freedom in Indiana and Kentucky.
It is with great honor and respect that Planned Parenthood in 2020 is proud to be dedicating our newest health center in Fort Wayne, IN in memorial of Betty Cockrum. |
For those of you who knew and worked with Betty, we share our deepest sympathies. Every person who knew Betty seems to have a story about her and we have enjoyed over the past few days hearing those. If you have a story that you would like to share about Betty, please share those here.
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Hoosiers have lost a significant figure in the community and we will miss her strength and leadership especially in these troubling times. Thank you to Betty for being our champion and may her energy and passion live on through all of us!
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