Melinda French Gates, the billionaire philanthropist and renowned figure, has endorsed presidential candidate Joe Biden for what she says is the first time in history. In a CNN op-ed, French Gates said this election is unlike any other because “the stakes have never been higher for women and families.”
She continued: “Because women’s health was endangered, their safety compromised, and their basic freedoms taken away during President Trump’s first term, I am supporting Biden in this election and urge others to do the same.”
French Gates has long been involved in bipartisan politics from the sidelines, primarily through her venture capital firm, Pivotal Ventures. One of the firm’s top priorities is increasing female representation at all levels of politics, with a focus on achieving near parity in Congress during her lifetime. But she said she has refrained from publicly endorsing specific candidates until now.
French Gates condemned former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s “often divisive and sometimes violent rhetoric,” which has ranged from “sexist attacks on female journalists to calling for the jailing of his opponents.” She pointed to foreign aid to reproductive service providers and restrictions on federal family planning programs that Trump has introduced.
And, of course, she mentioned the Supreme Court justices he appointed, and ultimately egg v. Wade— The constitutional right to abortion existed for 50 years before being repealed.
“Two years have passed since then. egg “Since the law was overturned, emergency rooms have been refusing to treat pregnant women needing emergency care because doctors fear legal liability,” French-Gates wrote. “Obstetricians have fled states with strict bans that risk denying women basic services like contraception.”
She added: “The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world, and most obstetricians and gynecologists egg This has led to an increase in maternal mortality.”
French Gates has made it clear that if Trump were elected, he would allow states to monitor and prosecute pregnant women. But in her view, Biden has done the opposite. Biden has fought for reproductive freedom, restored funding and supported access to medications such as mifepristone. She also argued that “Biden is, simply put, the strongest advocate for caregivers in the history of the Oval Office.”
“While Trump boasts about rolling back women’s rights, Biden understands that the future of our country depends on women,” she wrote. “That’s why I voted for Biden, and I urge anyone who cares about women and families to join me.”
In May, French Gates announced that she would step down from the nonprofit organization she runs with her ex-husband, Bill Gates, and donate $12.5 billion to her own charitable efforts. She then announced that she would donate $1 billion over two years to organizations that support women and families around the world. When announcing her retirement, she said, “This is a critical moment for women and girls in the United States and around the world. Those fighting to protect and advance gender equality urgently need support.”
Now I think I know what, or who, she was referring to.
