Defending Human Rights at the Intersection of Toxics and Gender Equity (part 2)
Authored by WVE’s Interim Co-Executive Director, Debra Erenberg
In April, I told you about WVE’s response to a call for inputs from the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights seeking recommendations to inform a forthcoming report on gender and toxics. We were delighted to see that the Special Rapporteur referenced WVE’s submission multiple times throughout the report, which was presented to the UN General Assembly in October 2024.
The report calls attention to the many ways that women, girls, and other vulnerable groups are more likely to be exposed to and impacted by toxic substances – including lead, mercury, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and other harmful chemicals – not only for biological reasons but because of how they interact with their environment. We thought it was important for US policymakers and advocates to be more aware of these issues, so WVE partnered with Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch to host an event in Washington, DC, on November 14 to uplift the report and talk about ways to support its recommendations.
The event, “Reproductive Justice and Toxics: Implications of a New UN Report for US Policy,” featured remarks by Congresswoman Grace Meng, a champion of menstrual equity and reproductive health; Marcos Orellano, the UN Special Rapporteur who authored the report; LaTricea Adams from Young, Gifted and Green; Amanda Klasing from Amnesty International USA; and myself.
Congresswoman Meng thanked WVE for supporting her legislation and for our partnership in the fight for menstrual equity. She spoke of her work to get the FDA to take action to ensure the safety of tampons, noting that it’s unacceptable that these products contain heavy metals and other harmful ingredients.
Professor Orellano discussed his report’s findings. He noted that the scarcity of research that looks specifically at the impact of toxics on women, girls, and especially gender-diverse individuals made it challenging to track differences in how exposures impact different groups. However, he firmly stated that there already exists more than enough evidence of harm to make the case for governments to enact protective policies.
During the panel discussion, moderated by Amanda Klasing, LaTricea Adams spoke about states taking action to protect maternal health and the importance of having an educated community constantly interacting with policymakers as a counter to industry lobbyists and those who would cause environmental harm.
Amanda called on our event co-host Skye Wheeler from Human Rights Watch, who talked about maternal health from a human rights lens and noted that many maternal health and reproductive rights organizations in this country and internationally have failed to see that the right to a clean and healthy environment underlies our reproductive rights and health.
I had an opportunity to share WVE’s work urging Summer’s Eve to remove boric acid (a reproductive toxicant) from its daily use products and urging the FDA to issue guidance to assist manufacturers in making their products safe for the vaginal microbiome. I also emphasized that, despite the upcoming transition of power at the federal level, states continue to lead the way towards enacting protective laws – and those state actions have the potential to add up to safer products nationwide. Most importantly, I spoke of the need for movement building and solidarity, as we address the interconnected issues of reproductive health, maternal health, gender equity and creating a safe, healthy and just society for everyone.
This event marked the first time that I’ve seen organizations working for human rights, maternal health, reproductive rights, environmental health, and more come together to discuss the ways that toxic chemicals affect all of our work, but it won’t be the last. Our plan is to build on this discussion and strategize around how a human rights approach, grounded in science and gender justice, can help advance our shared goals. If you’re part of an organization that would like to be part of this conversation, please get in touch by contacting womensvoices@womensvoices.org.
In case you missed it! Check out the full conversation from the “Reproductive Justice and Toxics: Implications of a New UN Report for US Policy” conversation below!
