NEW YORK — In a new full-page open letter running in today's edition of The New York Times, the CEOs and co-founders of Clary Collection, Cora, Dame, Fur, LOOM, Sustain Natural and THINX Inc, are speaking out against the wave of state abortion bans and challenging corporate America to join them in standing up for reproductive rights.
In the open letter, which was commissioned by the seven companies, Adriel Denae and Jen Auerbach of Clary Collection, Molly Hayward of Cora, Alexandra Fine and Janet Lieberman of Dame, Laura Schubert and Lillian Tung of Fur, Erica Chidi Cohen and Quinn Lundburg of LOOM, Meika Hollender of Sustain Natural and Maria Molland of THINX Inc. declare: "As women, and business leaders, we support the right to choose today and every day."
In the open letter, they go on to explain: "For too long, corporate America has been largely silent on speaking up for sexual and reproductive health and rights. That must change. Today, we loudly and boldly declare that we will not be silent in defense of fundamental human rights and we challenge our peers in the business community to do the same. Now is the time to speak up."
VIEW THE FULL-PAGE OPEN LETTER IN THE NEW YORK TIMES HERE: http://bit.ly/NewYorkTimesAbortionAd
"Alabama's restrictive, near-total ban on abortion is nothing short of an assault on the fundamental right to bodily autonomy. It is unacceptable and the time to stand up for reproductive access is now." said Maria Molland, CEO of THINX Inc. "Companies and business leaders need to stand up and pick a side: do they support a person's right to choice, or will they say and do nothing as these rights are stripped away? At THINX Inc., we choose to loudly defend abortion as a constitutional right— especially for trans and nonbinary folx, and communities of color, who are disproportionately affected by these policies. It's time for the rest of corporate America to do the same. Together, we can beat these unconstitutional laws and ensure that all people with periods are empowered with access to comprehensive healthcare."
"At Sustain, we have——and always will be——fierce supporters of women and their reproductive right to choose. Since launching five years ago, through our 10%4Women program, we have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars and product to organizations like Planned Parenthood to increase access to the health services so many women currently lack. We are horrified and outraged by the current threat to our reproductive freedom, and we refuse to sit idly by and allow politicians to make decisions about our bodies. Today, we are taking action, and we hope you will join us," explained Meika Hollender, CEO and Co-Founder of Sustain Natural. "We are asking that all female CEOs and business leaders come together, answer the call, and take a stand on reproductive health. At a time like this, there is no other choice than to unite and demand our collective voices be heard."
LOOM provides health education and focuses on buliding community around reproductive experiences like periods, pregnancy and abortion. "I've attend many abortions as a doula and at LOOM we see abortion as a health-seeking behavior that should be safely accessible to anyone with a uterus. The choice belongs in the hands of the pregnant person, not in the hands of the government," added Erica Chidi Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of at LOOM.
"At Fur, we've always been proud to support everyone's right to make choices about their bodies. Whether that's pubic hair or reproductive rights, no one should be able to diminish your choice in any way. We're proud to stand with other female founders in opposition to these backwards, anti-choice political threats to reproductive rights," added Laura Schubert, CEO & Co-Founder and Lillian Tung, Chief Marketing Officer & Co-Founder at Fur.
"We, Dame Products, were founded to promote sexual wellbeing. I've worked at Planned Parenthood. It's never an easy decision. I've held the hands of women during their procedures. I know the gravity of their decisions and safety we offered them on one of their darkest days," said Alexandra Fine from Dame. "Our hearts are heavy because we know what these policies mean for the lives of women. We cannot sit idle while this newest wave of policies, restricting women's agency and endangering their safety, are put in place. Dame will be donating $3 dollars for every sale for the rest of May to the Yellowhammer Fund. We want to stand with our fellow female business leaders to show our collective power. We are the future and we will fight to protect women's wellbeing."
"Cora has always tirelessly advocated for the liberation of women through our business by providing access to health education and millions of menstrual products to girls in need around the world and here in the U.S.," said Molly Hayward, founder of Cora. "Now, we must raise our voice to ensure our own human rights are protected because we know that when states interfere in the personal medical decisions of a woman—the ultimate violation of her right to privacy and bodily sovereignty—women are oppressed and unequal. We proudly stand now to speak out against this radical and regressive legislation."
"Clary Collection trusts women and trusts the decisions they make on their own behalf. The female voice was effectively silenced for the first half of the life of this nation. Now, 99 years after gaining the right to vote, we find our choices and bodies held in another balance of legislative will. History has shown us that banning abortions has never made them inaccessible to the wealthy and privileged in our society, but rather makes them unavailable or extremely unsafe to lower income families and under-represented individuals," added Jen Auerbach and Adriel Denae, co-Founders of Clary Collection. "These bans ignite sparks of subjective, moral debate, while distracting us from flames of classism, sexism and bigotry. Clary Collection is rooted in the empowerment of personal agency. We stand with every human in pursuit of their own self-determination. We support the sovereignty of choice and safe access to care."
—From a press release
