Importance of the Election as Expressed by Melinda French Gates
Never supported a presidential candidate till now. My work in championing gender rights and global health often necessitated collaboration with leaders across party lines, thus I've kept mum about my voting preference in past elections.
But this time around, things are different.
After Trump's first term posed a threat to women's health, jeopardizing their safety and stripping them of crucial liberties, I'm backing Biden in this election, and urging others to do the same.
Among Trump's early acts as president was the reinstatement and expansion of the global gag rule, which limited foreign aid to organizations offering reproductive services, potentially causing over 100,000 maternal and child deaths globally.
The sitting president imposed regulations on the federal family planning program, Title X, making it harder for people from lower-income backgrounds to get contraceptives. His volatile, often aggressive rhetoric throughout his campaigns and administration – from the sexist comments hurled at female journalists to advocating for his competitor's incarceration – has fostered a toxic political climate for women in positions of power and given rise to threats against election workers, most of whom are women.
Moreover, he strategically appointed Supreme Court justices who were likely to repeal Roe v. Wade, leading to a ruling with grave and catastrophic implications for women and their families.
In the two years since Roe was overturned, emergency rooms refused to help pregnant women in dire need, due to doctors' fears of legal consequences. Obstetricians abandoned states with stringent bans, leaving women without access to rudimentary services, like contraceptives.
The US already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed countries, and most obstetricians concur that the decision to overturn Roe has led to more maternal deaths.
On the one hand, Trump has indicated that, if reelected, he would take no steps to repair the harm his administration caused – instead pushing for stricter monitoring and prosecution of pregnant women.
On the other hand, Biden has restored funding to international health organizations for women and fought for reproductive rights in the US. His administration has supported the right to travel across states for reproductive services, sustained access to mifepristone – a medicine with a 20-year history of safety – taken steps to protect fertility treatments like IVF and worked to make contraceptives more accessible. He's defended vital emergency medical care for pregnant women and helped enlighten doctors and patients about their legal rights.
Furthermore, Biden has demonstrated his dedication to women and families by advocating for significant – and long-overdue – investments in this country's care infrastructure.
The US remains the only high-income country lacking a paid family and medical leave policy, forcing many workers to choose between caring for their loved ones and earning a salary. As child care expenses grow incessantly, accounting for as much as 31% of a low-income family's income, it frequently becomes more financially feasible for one parent to abandon their job to care for the children; in most instances, this parent is a woman.
Not only is the caregiving crisis deterring women from the workforce, but it's costing the US economy billions of dollars. Unless there's a change, numerous women will remain excluded from influential industries, from tech and venture capital to media and politics.
Even though caregiving crisis is grave, elected officials have neglected to prioritize a comprehensive solution for years. Not Biden.
Sign Up for Our Free Weekly Newsletter!
- Subscribe to our weekly Opinion newsletter
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
During his 2020 campaign, Biden emphasized the importance of caregiving in his platform, and in the White House, he's spearheaded initiatives to make care more affordable for families and elevate the status of care workers. His efforts to intensify the child tax credit, which resulted in many lower-income families with children getting a monthly check, helped alleviate child poverty by almost half in one year.
And he continues to push for affordable child care, home care for the elderly and people with disabilities, and long-overdue paid family and medical leave. Biden, in essence, is the most steadfast advocate for caregivers to occupy the Oval Office.
Whilst Trump has celebrated diminishing the rights of women, Biden recognizes that the destiny of our country relies upon them. That's why Biden deserves my vote. I invite anyone who values women and families to join me.
