By Nicole Stiles
The recent reversal of the historic Roe v Wade decision that was made nearly 50 years ago, has left many women feeling both outraged and powerless. What has long been considered a fundamental right, has now been stripped from women with no regard to their basic human liberties like privacy, safety and most importantly, personal autonomy. This major blow to human rights is only the tip of the iceberg. If a long-standing federal law such as Roe v Wade can be overturned, others are sure to follow. As female leaders we cannot sit and wait for change, we must harness our influence, intellect and economic power to act now to protect ourselves and our employees.
At How Women Lead, we chose to focus our 2022 Women Leaders for the World fellowship program on those fighting for reproductive health, rights and justice. This global program supports sixteen non-profit CEOs and executive directors in the space by giving them access to intensive trainings, executive coaching, expert advising and a vast network of women leaders with power and influence to help the cause. You can learn more about each of these courageous warriors here.
These leaders on the front lines of this fight need our support. To that end, we’ve worked with some of the most informed experts in the field who also happen to be part of our deep global network, to compile a truly comprehensive guide to help you and your organizations navigate and mobilize around the cause. From educational materials and worthy organizations to support, to practical resources and actions you can commit to, there is plenty to be done right now to make our voices heard. Here are a few great places to start:
How to Show up For Abortion Access (thank you Alison Turkos)
Post-Roe Abortion Giving (thank you Gretchen Sisson & Zoe Mercer-Golden)
Pro Repro Playbook: a free resource for business leaders on how to protect access to reproductive health services to their employees, meaning, 75 million American workers who can become pregnant. The goal is to translate the positive intent of business to protect their workers into specific, tangible benefits for workers.
How Companies Can Strengthen Reproductive Health Care (thank you Rhia Ventures) you’ll find helpful resources on how to propel companies and organizations to do their part in achieving gender equity.
#WhatAreYourReproBenefits Database: a roundup of the corporations who are leading the way in bringing more transparency to abortion care coverage in the private sector.
SCOTUS + Business: Resources on abortion, SCOTUS, the economy + business (thank you Janna Turner)
While President Biden’s recent executive order is a move in the right direction, it is a limited first step in regaining the freedom and right to choose. Only Congress can restore the legality of abortion at a federal level, which is why voting in congressional elections will be imperative to winning it back. We must keep our feet on the gas pedal to ensure this constitutional right, and others we may take for granted, are not so easily commandeered from our control moving forward.
A full list of the resources can be found here.