Sustainable Switch: U.S. abortion law and gender inequalities
22/06/2023 13:00
June 22 - By Sharon Kimathi
Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters
Hello!
It’s almost one year since the United States Supreme Court
overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized
abortion nationwide in the country. To mark the day, today’s
newsletter will focus on the gender disparities that continue to
grow in the nation and beyond.
Since the Supreme Court eliminated federal abortion protections
on June 24, 2022, and allowed states to limit or ban abortion
care, 14 states have pushed forward legislation banning
abortions, but many states have blocked restrictions, according
to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research group.
Click here for an in-depth infographic on how access to
abortion has changed.
After the ruling, dozens of clinics closed, forcing patients to
travel thousands of miles to end pregnancies. These included
clinics of Dr Alan Braid and his daughter Andrea Gallegos in
San Antonio, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Braid, an abortion provider since 1972, and Gallegos, manager of
their clinics, decided to uproot their families in Texas to open
clinics in New Mexico and Illinois, two states where abortion
remains legal.
“I don’t think I ever really thought about quitting,” said
Braid, who made national headlines when he defied Texas law in
September 2021 by performing an abortion on a patient who was
past six weeks pregnant. “My motivation,” he said, “is to
provide a safe place for women to come who have made the
decision to terminate their pregnancy.”
Abortion rights supporters did manage in some states to
fight off new proposed restrictions or codify abortion
protections.
Ahead of a rally set for Saturday in Washington, Rachel Carmona,
executive director of the Women's March activist organization,
acknowledged the devastating blow dealt to reproductive rights
by the Supreme Court's reversal last year. "We are framing this
to lift up the wins that we've had in the last year, but of
course it's a somber day for us," Carmona said.
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver a speech on the
issue a week before a new Republican-backed law takes effect in
the state, banning abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, down
from the current 20-week window.
Speaking of Republican-backed laws, a Christian-owned wellness
center is exempt from the federal law prohibiting employers from
discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity, a federal appeals court ruled.
The company said it was run according to Christian beliefs,
including opposition to homosexuality and upholding specific
gender roles. It had sought a court order shielding it from EEOC
enforcement under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a 1993
federal law limiting government agencies' ability to burden
anyone's religious freedom.
And on the topic of rolling back freedoms based on sexual
orientation, a state prosecutor in northern Italy has demanded
the cancellation of 33 birth certificates of children born to
lesbian couples dating back to 2017, saying the name of the
non-biological mother should be removed.
The move by the prosecutor of Padua highlighted the legal morass
facing gay families in Italy. It came months after Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni's government ordered city councils to
stop registering same-sex parents' children.
Talking Points
* A U.N. expert said that the treatment of Afghan women and
girls
by the Taliban could amount to "gender apartheid" as their
rights continue to be gravely infringed by the country's de
facto authorities.
* A lawyer for 16 young people asked a Montana judge for a
historic order declaring the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies
violate their rights, wrapping up arguments in the first
youth-led U.S. climate change lawsuit to make it to trial.
* The European Union's powerful lending arm, the European
Investment Bank, expects to back its first 'debt-for-nature'
swap this year as it bolsters efforts to stem biodiversity loss.
* Canada will fall short of reaching net-zero emissions by
2050,
unless it takes actions beyond the efforts already underway, the
Canada Energy Regulator (CER) said.
* JPMorgan Chase said the U.S. Virgin Islands gave Jeffrey
Epstein
more than $300 million in tax incentives and waived sex offender
monitoring requirements, shielding the disgraced late financier
as he gave cash and gifts to top officials.
* Breakingviews: Lawmakers this month voted on the
European Union’s AI Act in one of the first significant attempts
to regulate the nascent sector. Though industry leaders like
OpenAI boss Sam Altman warn some approaches are too onerous, the
risks of pandering to special pleading exceed the dangers of
stifling a new technology.
In Conversation
Charli Rogers, senior vice president at UK-based software
firm Yext, shares her thoughts on gender inclusivity in the
artificial intelligence space:
“Tomorrow marks ‘International Women's Engineering Day’, which
serves as an important reminder for our industry to try and
inspire more women to be part of the engineering workforce.”
“This is particularly important at a time when the industry is
going through considerable technological change, with new
developments such as generative AI.”
“In the last six months, we have seen an explosion in the use of
AI. However, according to a recent World Economic Forum (WEF)
report, AI professionals are predominantly men – with 78% of the
AI workforce being male.”
“This raises concerns about the potential for gender bias in AI
algorithms, as experiences and perspectives from predominantly
male backgrounds may be overrepresented, which can lead to
unbalanced developments. This highlights the need for greater
gender diversity in the field of AI and engineering.”
“To combat this, we need to create an inclusive and supportive
environment for women. This should include providing equal
opportunities for females to join the engineering sector and
creating a more inclusive environment.”
“To achieve this, companies must look at how they promote
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
education internally and externally, particularly through
mentorship opportunities.”
“Only by doing this can we ensure that women have a seat at the
table and can contribute their unique perspectives and talents
towards shaping the future of the industry.”
ESG Lens
Japan plans to "aggressively" push for women's participation in
society, especially in politics, top government spokesperson
Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday, after an annual report
showed the country was struggling to narrow the gender gap.
The World Economic Forum report measuring gender parity ranked
Japan 125th out of 146 countries this year, compared with 116th
in last year's report.
ESG Spotlight
Today’s Spotlight takes us to India as it invests in new
supercomputers that detect cyclones earlier. And click on the
video below for a clip on how environmental concerns will take
center stage in a new art exhibition in Britain.
India is investing in new supercomputers, high-resolution
radar systems and automated weather observatories to improve
cyclone forecasting efforts over the next five years, its top
weather official said.
The most dramatic overhaul in nearly a quarter century comes
after early warnings and timely evacuations this month helped
the South Asian nation avert major casualties after cyclone
Biparjoy hit its west coast near neighboring Pakistan.
"In the next five years, our cyclone forecasting will get even
better," Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general of the India
Meteorological Department (IMD), told Reuters in an interview.
Meanwhile,
environmental concerns and hopes for our planet take center
stage in a new art exhibition opening this week at London's
Hayward Gallery.
“This exhibition is called ‘Dear Earth: Art and Hope in a Time
of Crisis’ and the premise was to ask artists to reframe,
re-contextualize the climate change today and connect to Mother
Earth, our Earth,” said Rachel Thomas, chief curator at the
gallery.
“We’re trying to fall back in love with our planet as a
relative, to connect that we have compassion for the animals
that are dying. So I think this show slightly offers a
compassionate, hopeful way forward.”
Quote of the Day
“People who need urgent healthcare should not be afraid to
step out of their homes for fear of their safety, and women’s
right to reproductive healthcare must be upheld, conflict or no
conflict.”
Dr. Natalia Kanem, executive director at the United Nations
Population Fund
Looking Ahead
* June 23, Geneva, Switzerland: Meeting of the animals
committee
of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will finalize decisions on the
international trade in animals.
* June 23, Paris, France: Heads of state, representatives of
financial institutions, the private sector and civil society
gather in Paris to discuss ways to reform the global financial
system in order to address inequalities, climate change and
biodiversity erosion.
* June 23, Paris, France: Environmental activists Greta
Thunberg
and Vanessa Nakate take part in a climate strike with Fridays
for Future, Avaaz, 350.org and Glasgow Actions Team activists at
the Place de la Republique in Paris.
* June 23, Tennessee, United States: A status hearing in
Shelby
County Criminal Court is set for five former police officers
charged with second-degree murder in the death of Black motorist
Tyre Nichols. The defendants are not required to attend.
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