There are some occasions in our lives that are truly magical, unforgettable, and visionary. The evening of May 7, 2008 was one of these.
That night, I was privileged to attend the gala dinner of The Feminist Majority Foundation's Fourth Annual Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Global Women's Rights in Los Angeles. One of the illustrious honorees was my colleague and friend, María Luisa Sánchez Fuentes. She is the executive director of the Mexico City-based organization for which I am the US representative, Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida/The Information Group on Reproductive Choice, Mexico's leading voice for reproductive justice and access to legal abortion. For many years, María Luisa has been deeply committed to women's rights, dignity, respect, and the decriminalization of abortion in Mexico. She was instrumental in the incredible victory of April 24, 2007, when abortion in the first trimester was decriminalized in Mexico City. Women's lives have been saved since that momentous day, as more than 7,000 women have been able to access quality and safe abortion care.
María Luisa is one of those unassuming dynamic and inspirational leaders whose openness, caring, articulation, power, and dynamism are infectious. In fact, May 7 was an evening of powerful leadership. The evening was filled with the inspiration of many who have worked so hard to make a difference in the lives of the women of the world.
Founded in 1987, the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is the nation's largest feminist research and action organization dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence. The organization's premise is that feminists -- both women and men -- who believe in women's equality are in the majority -- but the majority must be empowered. The FMF's programs focus on advancing the legal, social, and political equality of women with men, countering the backlash to women's advancement, and recruiting and training young feminists to encourage future leadership in the feminist movement. The FMF consistently incorporates a global focus in all of its work. Thus, their Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls, launched in 1997, and chaired by the indomitable FMF board member Mavis Leno, is the first of its kind to build a U.S. grassroots constituency around a foreign policy issue of women's rights.
Yet another indomitable and respected leader who was present and whose vision was keenly felt throughout the evening was Eleanor "Ellie" Smeal, FMF's president and one of its founders. Ellie has been a key women's rights leader for more than thirty years and is one of the architects of the modern drive for women's equality. In addition, Katherine "Kathy" Spillar, another FMF founder, the executive vice-president of the FMF, and the executive editor of Ms. Magazine, as well as Peg Yorkin, philanthropist, and co-founder and board chair of FMF, also both welcomed and inspired the audience to stand up and do more for women.
But the evening really belonged to the three dedicated award winners who were present that evening. All have made it their life's work to serve the reproductive health needs of women, especially in areas of the world where women's rights are severely compromised and where health care is sorely needed. The honorees truly represent the best and the brightest.
Dr. Nafis Sadik became the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1987...just in time for women. Before she became UNFPA's leader, the agency was more likely to support coercive population policies than truly see the larger picture of women's health, rights, and gender equity. When she accepted the post of UNFPA's executive director, Dr. Sadik became one of the highest-ranking women in the U.N. and the first woman to ever serve as executive head of one of the U.N.'s major voluntarily funded programs. Dr. Sadik, a Pakistani gynecologist, made women's empowerment and rights primary to the UNFPA mission. With her dynamic vision and leadership, the agency has also tackled maternal mortality, the feminization of AIDS, education for girls, and ending poverty for women and girls. In 1994, she served as the Secretary-General of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo and was instrumental in reshaping the world's reproductive health agenda. This resulted in a 20-year program setting forth guidelines regarding women's health, reproductive rights, reproductive health, education, economic opportunity, gender equity, and development -- all considered to be landmark achievements. Now, as the special envoy to the U.N. for HIV/AIDS in Asia, she continues to work for the empowerment and equality of women and girls. She has repeatedly spoken out about the feminization of the AIDS pandemic and the adverse effects of girls having children at a very young age when they are s "physically, intellectually, and emotionally underdeveloped."
Dr. Solomon Orero, a Kenyan gynecologist, has never fully accepted his country's statute outlawing abortion. Kenya has been described as being one of 69 countries with the "most restrictive laws" on abortion. In fact, according to the February 17, 2002 New York Times, women in Africa are more likely to die during unsafe abortions than any other women in any other place in the world. One in 150 abortions in Africa end in death and the problem is particularly acute in the countries of East Africa. Despite the numerous obstacles, possessing true vision and leadership, Dr. Orero founded Kisumu Medical and Educational Trust, which expands access to reproductive health services. He is able to circumvent the oppressive abortion law of his country by using a loophole -- the exception allowing abortion to save a woman's life -- to perform safe and respectful abortions for women and girls who would otherwise seek out unsafe and life-threatening abortions. He has trained hundreds of other health care workers to treat the brutal effects of botched abortions and this has given them the tools to provide safe abortion care -- and save lives -- as well. Besides being a provider and educator, Dr. Orero also continues to fearlessly speak out against Kenya's abortion law and the deadly U.S. Global Gag Rule, which has forced the closing of at least eight desperately needed women's health clinics in Kenya.
Last year, following a multiple-year campaign and arduously working to educate the many diverse sectors of Mexican society, first-trimester abortion was decriminalized in Mexico City. One of the visionary leaders and driving forces behind this incredible accomplishment for Mexican women's human rights and respect is María Luisa Sánchez Fuentes, the executive director of Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida. María Luisa has long been committed to issues of women's rights, human rights, women's dignity, and women's poverty. Placing abortion on the public agenda as issues of public health, social justice, equality, and democracy, and declaring illegal and unsafe abortion to be a form of torture and violence against women, combined with international trends and international treaties that Mexico has signed, proved to be a brilliant and successful strategy that turned back even the ferocious protests of the Catholic Church. Now, with this breath-taking victory and "miracle of Mexico City," María Luisa will continue to work relentlessly to lead GIRE forward in its next critical efforts. These consist of training more hospital personnel to provide safe and compassionate abortion care, decriminalizing abortion in all of the states of Mexico, and turning back the constitutional challenges to the new law that will be heard this summer by the Mexican Supreme Court. María Luisa is truly a leader and role model for the women of her country...and for all of us.
Of course, all of the awardees are courageous and committed leaders and true humanitarians. With conviction and compassion, these three amazing individuals have changed the destinies of millions of women and girls-and saved their lives. Their award is appropriately named for Eleanor Roosevelt, herself a visionary, humanitarian, civil rights advocate, and passionate believer in human dignity and worth. She always believed that her greatest achievement was her work on the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which she imagined would become a cornerstone in the struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms for everyone, everywhere. And, in many ways, it has.
To be surrounded by inspiration, commitment, brilliance, passion, vision, power, and leadership is truly spectacular and unforgettable, and gives me hope for a better world and renewed respect and rights for women and girls.
