Melinda French Gates has announced that she will donate $1bn over the next two years to people and organisations working on behalf of women and families, including on reproductive rights.
In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Tuesday, French Gates said she felt “compelled” to support abortion rights in the United States after the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
French Gates said the US continues to have “unconscionable” rates of maternal mortality, particular among Black and Native American women, while the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade-high.
French Gates also expressed dismay with those who say it is “not the right time” to talk about gender equality.
French Gates said she has begun distributing $200m in grants through her organisation, Pivotal Ventures, to US-based organisations, including the National Women’s Law Center, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
