Melinda is the co-founder of the Gates Foundation; she has highlighted her 1 billion plan to support women’s rights by announcing a new $250 million fund released for women’s mental and physical health.
The American philanthropist launched,’’ action for women’s health,’’ through her organization’s pivotal ventures. However, the fund website stated that’’ women’s health has been underfunded, overlooked and misunderstood,’’ and the differences between men’s and women’s health affect the women’s daily lives.
“It’s clear we need to address the challenges women face in healthcare. The good news is that many organizations worldwide are working on this, and we want to make sure they get the attention and funding they need,” the site states, inviting organizations to apply for funding.
French Gates has said that after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which allowed states to decide abortion rights, she felt it was important to support women’s reproductive freedoms in America, an issue she has long supported internationally.
“I have focused on improving access to contraceptives overseas, but after Dobbs, I now feel I need to support reproductive rights here at home,” she wrote in a May opinion piece in the New York Times. “For too long, a lack of funding has put organizations fighting for women’s rights on the defensive, while those against progress have taken the offensive. I want to help level the playing field.”
In a new interview with Bloomberg, she expressed concern about the impacts of overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973-abortion rights case. “I would like to see the U.S. or any country — never roll back a law related to women’s health,” she stated.
French Gates previously endorsed Kamala Harris for president in a CBS News interview in July and reiterated her support in a recent interview. “When you think about who understands women’s needs right now in the U.S., there are clear differences,” she said.
As one of the world is wealthiest philanthropists, French Gates resigned from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in June, an organization she co-founded over twenty years ago. As part of her divorce agreement with Bill Gates, she received $12.5 billion from the foundation to focus her efforts on supporting women and girls.