This week, I traveled to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the nonprofit Reproductive Freedom For All (RFFA) — now celebrating its historic 55th anniversary — and its president and CEO, Minnie Timmaraju. Minnie is an absolute force and a true hero of mine. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, she has become a mentor and co-conspirator in the fight to protect and advance reproductive freedom.
During my journey, RFFA also honoured me with the Rising Reproductive Freedom Champion Award (the emphasis is definitely on the word “rising”!) – this is an incredible honour and one that I accepted because I believe it is your responsibility to keep moving forward and doing more.
Freedom has always been a core value of American society, but the Dobbs decision deprived an entire generation of that freedom. As one of my heroes, my mother Melinda French Gates, said at the time, “Get angry. Be angry. But ask yourself: What are you going to do about it?” Since then, I’ve been connecting with experts and investing in organizations and activists in this area.
In a room of 200 other reproductive rights defenders, including elected officials, activists and representatives from partner organizations, RFFA Board President Kimberly Peeler-Allen was an inspiring leader who has worked at the intersections of race, gender and politics for more than 20 years. (One of 10 states that outlaw abortion).
The main topic of discussion throughout the night was how abortion rights impact this election on the national and state levels. We are fighting for a future where reproductive rights are recognized as fundamental and indivisible, and we are fighting for a future where the avoidable deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candy Miller will never happen again. Voters know that politicians are not qualified to make decisions about women’s bodies at any point during pregnancy. As Meaney said in his speech: “That’s why every time since Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion rights have won. In California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont, voters are sending this message: “Let’s fight for our rights and we’ll come back.”
Earlier in the day, I visited the local DuPont clinic, where the team confronts the continuing challenges of post-Dobbs reproductive health in the United States every day. DuPont employees provide top-notch health care to women across the country, including women who make the painful journey from states where the government effectively controls their bodies.
Our generation has fewer rights than the generations before us. Yet, I left Washington feeling hopeful and energized, knowing that the supporters I met and my 41 million fellow voters who were eligible to vote in this election on November 5 were not willing to wait for things to change. If we unite to elect Vice President Harris and Governor Walz to the White House and win critical congressional races across the country, we have a chance to restore our rights through national legislation next year.
