Navigating the Rollbacks in Protection of Reproductive and LGBTQI+ Rights in the US

Authors

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  Paloma Muñoz Quick

  Director, Human Rights Standards, BSR

  

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  Paloma Muñoz Quick

  Director, Human Rights Standards, BSR

  

  New York

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  Paloma leads BSR’s work on Human Rights Standards, including standard-setting, knowledge management, and helping companies respond to emerging standards and regulation. She is also Senior Advisor to BSR’s Finance & Human Rights Practice.

  Prior to joining BSR, Paloma was Advisor to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and Senior Consultant of the UN B-Tech Project, where she developed a vision for promoting the uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights among investors and guidance on responsible investment in digital technologies. Prior to the UN, Paloma launched and led the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, where she developed thought leadership on the investor responsibility to respect human rights and supported stewardship engagements across industries. She also worked at the Danish Institute for Human Rights advising companies, governments, and civil society on business and human rights.

  Paloma is a member of the US government’s Advisory Committee on Responsible Business Conduct. She sits on the Editorial Board of Developments in the Field of the Business and Human Rights Journal of Cambridge University.

  She holds a Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.) in Human Rights from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a B.A. in Political Science, also from Columbia University. 

  Paloma is Chilean-American and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

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  Recent Insights From Paloma Muñoz Quick

  • Sustainability Strategy in the Age of Regulation: Don’t Lose the Plot / October 3, 2024 / Blog
  • CSDDD: A De Facto Climate Due Diligence Law That Safeguards People / September 23, 2024 / Blog
  • The CSDDD: Implications for the Finance Industry / September 4, 2024 / Blog
  • How Financial Institutions Can Manage Reduction of US Reproductive and LGBTQI+ Rights / July 9, 2024 / Blog
  • New Report: How Financial Services Firms Can Manage Risks from Criminalization of Abortion, LGBTQI+ Healthcare, and Respect Human Rights / June 20, 2024 / News

  Full Bio

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• 

  Ife Ogunleye

  Manager, Technology Sectors, BSR

  

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  Ife Ogunleye

  Manager, Technology Sectors, BSR

  

  San Francisco

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  Ife works with BSR member companies on human rights and technology issues.

  She brings several years of experience on a variety of anti-corruption, privacy, tech, and artificial intelligence (AI) policy issues. Prior to joining BSR, Ife worked with companies and government agencies to identify possible impacts or harms that may arise from the development or deployment of AI products as well as appropriate mitigation strategies, and she supported the development of AI regulatory and strategic frameworks in various jurisdictions. She has also worked as an attorney, providing legal advice to multinational companies in the extractive, energy, telecommunications, and financial technology industries on mergers, acquisitions, and financings as well as conducting anti-corruption, money laundering, and fraud investigations. Ife began her career as a policy analyst working on privacy and consumer protection issues in the UK and Europe.

  Ife holds a Master of Development Practice from the University of California, Berkeley and a law degree from the University of Manchester, England.

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  Recent Insights From Ife Ogunleye

  • How Financial Institutions Can Manage Reduction of US Reproductive and LGBTQI+ Rights / July 9, 2024 / Blog
  • Navigating the Rollbacks in Protection of Reproductive and LGBTQI+ Rights in the US / June 20, 2024 / Reports
  • A Human Rights Impact Assessment of the Tech Coalition’s Lantern Program / November 7, 2023 / Blog
  • Tech Coalition Human Rights Impact Assessment of the Lantern Program / November 7, 2023 / Reports
  • AI and Human Rights in Healthcare / October 5, 2023 / Reports

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• Samone Nigam

  Manager, Technology and Human Rights, BSR

  

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  Samone Nigam

  Manager, Technology and Human Rights, BSR

  

  San Francisco

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  Samone works with BSR member companies in human rights and technology, with a focus on the impact of technologies on marginalized communities.

  Prior to joining BSR, Samone conducted research for a variety of agencies including the World Wide Web Foundation, UN Women, and the Office of the NYC Public Advocate. Her research takes a social justice focus informed by her experience in the nonprofit sector working directly with underrepresented populations like the LGBTQI+ community, immigrants and asylum seekers, sex workers, survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, and people seeking safe abortion.

  Samone holds a master’s degree in human rights from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in community studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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  Recent Insights From Samone Nigam

  • Navigating the Rollbacks in Protection of Reproductive and LGBTQI+ Rights in the US / June 20, 2024 / Reports
  • A Human Rights Assessment of the Generative AI Value Chain / February 9, 2024 / Blog
  • Navigating Data Privacy in Post-Roe America / June 28, 2023 / Blog

  Full Bio

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The US has been undergoing a systematic rollback of reproductive and LGBTQI+ rights. Two years after the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion is illegal in 14 states and healthcare providers and others who help patients face criminal penalties. At least 23 states limit or ban access to gender-affirming care, while hundreds of other anti-LGBTQI+ equality bills were introduced in state legislatures in 2023. 

Financial services companies and other businesses that process healthcare-related payments must grapple with the repercussions of this fragmented legal landscape. Healthcare bans and restrictions complicate the operating environments for business and raise material risks. They also have a chilling effect on companies concerned with operating responsibly. Financial institutions are now exposed to complex ethical dilemmas, such as how to comply with the law while respecting the reproductive and LGBTQI+ rights of their customers, users, and workforce.  

BSR’s new report, Navigating Rollbacks in Reproductive and LGBTQI+ Rights in the US: A Guide for Financial Institutions, is a practical resource for financial institutions and anyone seeking to engage them on reproductive and LGBTQI+ rights in the US context. The guide includes insights on: 

• The rollbacks of legal protections for abortion and LGBTQI+ rights across the US;  
• How financial institutions may impact abortion and LGBTQI+ rights, specifically discussing data practices, handling of law enforcement requests, financial de-risking activities, lobbying efforts, and discriminatory or inequitable provision of financial services;  
• Material risks that result from failing to respect reproductive and LGBTQI+ rights; and 
• Practical recommendations and case studies for navigating compliance with the law while respecting human rights.