Lawyers and organizers had been preparing for the annulment of Roe v. Wade since the draft US Supreme Court decision leaked in early May. But Nadya Okamoto, co-founder of August health care company August, was still heartbroken when the decision became official in late June.
“One of the things that always made me passionate about policy and legislative action was that it always felt so permanent,” she told australiabusinessblog.com. “Turning back Roe went against many of the beliefs I had about change and social progress.”
Activists like Okamoto are now on the front lines to protest again for an individual’s right to abortion. As a startup founder, Okamoto said she’s ready to use her platform and position to educate and influence others — and she’s not alone.
Many female founders who run reproductive health companies are taking up combat positions as the US becomes a reality worse than what existed before Roe. come november, 26 states faced with an almost complete ban on abortion.
The decision to roll back Roe too clears the way for the erosion of other rights, such as those that gave the right to interracial and same-sex marriages.
For this reason, australiabusinessblog.com did another vibe check, this time with the female founders taking themselves and their companies to the front lines of the abortion fight. Okamoto and some of the others admit they never thought they’d see themselves here; at the same time, it feels like they’ve been preparing their whole lives to face this battle.
“It’s a privilege to have a platform,” Okamoto said. “That privilege needs to be reconciled by using that platform to do something important.”
