51& launch starts debate about abortion and women’s health progress – Fortune

Report on Women’s Health Advocacy, Gender Equality, and Economic Empowerment

Strategic Approaches to Women’s Health and Sustainable Development Goal 3

A new organization, 51&, has been established with the objective of advancing women’s health through a bipartisan and apolitical framework. The organization’s strategy is centered on achieving progress related to Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, by concentrating on issues with broad political consensus.

• Core Mission: To improve women’s health outcomes by creating a bipartisan coalition that supports political candidates from both major parties.
• Strategic Exclusion: The organization has deliberately excluded the issue of abortion from its platform, viewing it as a politically polarizing topic that impedes progress on other critical health matters.
• Areas of Focus: By avoiding contentious debate, 51& aims to secure advancements in areas directly impacting women’s health and access to care, including:
  1. Increasing reimbursement rates for medical practitioners to improve healthcare access.
  2. Securing funding for medical research into conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.

Critique of Strategic Exclusion and its Impact on SDG 5

The strategy employed by 51& has drawn criticism for its potential to undermine comprehensive progress on women’s rights and health. A counter-perspective argues that a holistic approach is necessary to fully address both SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

1. Incomplete Health Framework: Critics, including former Planned Parenthood executive Dawn Laguens, contend that ignoring reproductive health and abortion renders any women’s health initiative incomplete. This approach fails to align with SDG Target 3.7, which calls for universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services.
2. Undermining Bodily Autonomy: The exclusion of abortion is seen as a compromise on women’s bodily autonomy, a fundamental principle of SDG 5. The argument posits that progress on one aspect of women’s health should not be contingent upon sacrificing fundamental reproductive rights, as outlined in SDG Target 5.6.
3. Economic and Business Implications: From a business perspective, neutrality on reproductive rights is viewed as a significant blind spot. The women’s health market, valued at $1.2 trillion, intersects heavily with reproductive care. Ignoring this segment may limit innovation and erode consumer trust, thereby impacting progress toward SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by failing to address a key market segment.

Broader Developments in Gender Equality and Economic Empowerment

Recent events across various sectors highlight ongoing progress and challenges related to achieving gender equality and empowering women, aligning with several Sustainable Development Goals.

• Corporate Leadership (SDG 5): The appointment of Jane Fraser as both CEO and Chair of Citi, and the continued leadership of Mary Barra as CEO of General Motors, exemplify progress toward SDG Target 5.5, which aims to ensure women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership in economic and public life.
• Economic Equality in Sports (SDG 5, SDG 10): The ongoing debate regarding revenue-sharing for WNBA players, as articulated by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, brings to the forefront the issue of pay equity. This conversation is central to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), focusing on equal remuneration for work of equal value.
• Workplace Equality (SDG 5, SDG 8): The identification of the “Best Workplaces for Women” by Fortune magazine highlights corporate efforts to create inclusive environments that support SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and promote gender equality in the workforce.
• New Opportunities in Athletics (SDG 5): The planned 2026 debut of a women’s professional baseball league marks a significant step in expanding professional opportunities for female athletes, contributing to their economic empowerment and advancing the goals of SDG 5.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article touches upon several interconnected issues primarily centered on women’s well-being, rights, and economic participation. Based on this, the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are addressed:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The core of the article revolves around women’s health. It explicitly mentions the need for progress on issues like “maternal mortality,” research funding for “cardiology, autoimmune disease, and other conditions that impact women,” and the entire debate surrounding “reproductive health” and abortion.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This goal is central to the entire discussion. The article explores the concept of women’s “bodily autonomy,” “reproductive rights,” and the political and social challenges in achieving them. Furthermore, it highlights women in leadership positions (Mary Barra, Jane Fraser) and the fight for equal treatment in professional sports (WNBA), all of which are key components of gender equality.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article connects to this SDG by discussing economic empowerment and workplace equality for women. The mention of the WNBA players’ fight for increased “revenue-sharing” to match their male counterparts in the NBA directly addresses the principle of equal pay. The inclusion of a list of “Best Workplaces for Women” also relates to promoting decent and equitable work environments.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Several specific SDG targets can be identified from the issues discussed in the article:

1. Under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio. The article explicitly mentions “maternal mortality” as one of the women’s health issues that needs attention, separate from the abortion debate.
   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases. This is relevant to the call for more “funding for research on cardiology, autoimmune disease, and other conditions that impact women,” which are often non-communicable.
   • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. The entire debate about whether to include or exclude “abortion” and “reproductive health” from the 51& organization’s agenda directly relates to this target concerning access to a full spectrum of care.
2. Under SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life. The article highlights this by mentioning Mary Barra as CEO of GM and Jane Fraser becoming Chair and CEO of Citi, serving as examples of women in top corporate leadership roles.
   • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. This is a central theme of the article. The debate between pragmatism and betrayal hinges on this target, with Dawn Laguens arguing that “bodily autonomy” and “reproductive rights” are fundamental and cannot be separated from women’s overall health and well-being.
3. Under SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The struggle of “Women’s basketball players… fighting for growing their share of revenue as the WNBA surges, aiming to match the share men receive of NBA revenue” is a direct example of the effort to achieve equal pay for work of equal value.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress, even if it doesn’t provide specific quantitative data:

• For Target 3.1: The mention of “maternal mortality” implies the use of the Maternal Mortality Ratio (Indicator 3.1.1) as a key metric for assessing women’s health outcomes.
• For Target 5.5: The article provides qualitative examples for Indicator 5.5.2 (Proportion of women in managerial positions) by naming specific female CEOs like Mary Barra and Jane Fraser. Their appointments and roles are concrete data points showing progress in women’s leadership in the business world.
• For Target 5.6: The discussion around “bodily autonomy” and “reproductive rights” directly relates to Indicator 5.6.1 (Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care). The political stalemate described in the article suggests that achieving this is a significant challenge.
• For Target 8.5: The fight for pay equity in the WNBA implies the relevance of Indicator 8.5.1 (Average hourly earnings of female and male employees). The article’s statement that players want to “match the share men receive of NBA revenue” points to a clear desire to close the gender pay gap in professional sports, which can be measured by comparing revenue-sharing percentages and salaries.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: fortune.com