Melinda French Gatesinitiates a $250 million investment centering on women's health issues.
The billionaire benefactor initiated "Advocacy for Female Wellness" as a fund under her organization, Pivotal Ventures. Their website declares that women's health has been underfunded, neglected, and misconstrued, and that health disparities between genders not only disturb women's daily lives but also jeopardize their futures.
The site asserts, "It's apparent that we need to enhance our efforts in addressing barriers to women's health. The silver lining is that there are numerous organizations worldwide doing exactly that. Our aim is to guarantee they receive the recognition and financing they deserve."
Previously, French Gates expressed her intention to aid Americans in preserving their reproductive freedoms following the American Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs judgment that empowered individual states to determine abortion rights. She had been advocating for improved contraceptive access overseas but felt compelled to support reproductive rights domestically post-Dobbs.
She expounded on this in a May op-ed published in the New York Times, stating, "Although I have long worked on enhancing contraceptive access overseas, I now feel the necessity to back reproductive rights at home in the post-Dobbs period. For an excessive amount of time, a scarcity of funds has compelled organizations fighting for women's rights to adopt a protective stance while adversaries of progress advance."
She reiterated her stance in a new interview with Bloomberg, noting, "We're witnessing the destructive effects" of Roe v. Wade's overturning, the historic 1973 abortion rights judgment. "I hope to prevent the US - and any nation - from reversing legislation related to women's health."
Previously, she voiced her support for Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate in a CBS News interview in July. She reaffirmed this stance in her most recent interview, praising Harris, the Democratic contender for the US presidency, for her advocacy of women's reproductive rights.
"When you consider who comprehends the US at present - who is aware of women's requirements at this moment - there are significant differences," she remarked to Bloomberg. "I thought it prudent to share my sentiments regarding that situation."
French Gates is among the world's richest and most renowned philanthropists. She parted ways with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in June, an organization she co-founded over two decades ago.
As per her divorce settlement with Bill Gates in June, she was awarded $12.5 billion from the foundation for her philanthropic pursuits, following which she dedicated her efforts to supporting women and girls.
The "Advocacy for Female Wellness" fund under Pivotal Ventures aims to address the underfunding and neglect of women's health, recognizing that health disparities impact women's lives and futures significantly. French Gates also highlighted the need for increased financing for organizations working to improve women's health globally, as she shifted her focus to supporting reproductive rights domestically.
