Melinda French Gates to donate $1 billion to upholding women’s rights

Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates, formerly married to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, announced her plans to give $1 billion to people and organisations advocating for women’s rights.

This comes after a series of backward decisions made by the US political right infringing on the freedom and equality of women in the nation. Center-front to the issue is the decision to overturn landmark Roe v Wade case by the Supreme Court of the United States, denying the right to abortion for women on the grounds that they were “egregiously wrong,” “exceptionally weak,” and “so damaging” they amounted to “an abuse of judicial authority.” 

Melinda French Gates' Philanthropic Vision: Empowering Women Worldwide

The right to abortion stands as a fundamental right for women, ensuring their dignity and full control over their bodily autonomy. The decision to overrule Roe had been taking a startling step back five decades into the past. 

Gates has taken a proper stand against this. “In nearly 20 years as an advocate for women and girls, I have learned that there will always be people who say it's not the right time to talk about gender equality,” she wrote in a New York Times OpEd. 

“It's frustrating and shortsighted. Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone.”

Leaving the non-profit organisation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that Gates found with her now ex-husband had at the time left her with $12.5 billion that she’d pledged to use for philanthropic efforts. On Tuesday, she announced her plans for appropriating the first sum of that money. 

“As part of the $1 billion in new funding I'm committing to these efforts, I have begun directing new grants through my organization, Pivotal, to groups working in the United States to protect the rights of women and advance their power and influence,” Gates wrote in the OpEd.

“These include the National Women's Law Center, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Center for Reproductive Rights.”

The decision to overturn Roe v Wade seems to be pivotal in the current political landscape of the US. The upcoming electoral race depends largely on these reproductive rights, with Democrats making the safeguarding of such fundamental rights a bargaining chip against the Republicans.

Gates herself was moved by the denial of such a basic human right, upheld for the last fifty years, to double down on her efforts in the United States and safeguard women’s rights before they could be further abused.

She has been an avid advocate of women’s rights not just in the States but abroad as well. She has directed a significant amount of funding towards introducing contraceptives and family planning in developing countries, teaching women about reproductive health and safety, alongside promoting education and empowerment.

Her beliefs are said to be rooted in the idea that empowering and supporting women can help solve many of the world’s most pressing problems. 

Gates has apparently also chosen 12 people to receive a $20 million grant that they could choose to do whatever they wanted with. The awardees include former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and US athlete and maternal health advocate Allyson Felix. 

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