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Melinda Gates Pledges $560 Million For Contraception

Posted by samzenpus on from the greater-good dept.

theodp writes "Melinda Gates has pledged $560 million as part of a campaign to expand access to contraception for women. From the article: 'The funding commitment was unveiled on Wednesday at the London Summit on Family Planning alongside pledges totaling $4.3 billion from the British government and leaders from African nations wrestling with the health and social problems brought on by high rates of unplanned pregnancy.'"

12 of 451 comments (clear)

  1. Buying Windows does some good in the world! by Art+Popp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Kidding aside.

    She and her husband continue to show the best side of capitalism. For those that assume that wealth necessarily leads to avarice, it's delightful to me to see the Gates Foundation making that case more difficult to prove.

    To hear her explain the contraception issue:

    http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/415947/june-27-2012/melinda-gates

    1. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      She and her husband continue to show the best side of capitalism.

      Err, it's not capitalism at all. It's charity. Charity is a bandaid over the wounds of capitalism.

      Of course it's better to do this than to squander the money, just as it's right to help up a man who keeps falling over. But you're still treating the symptom, not the cause.

    2. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by ACTA+sucks · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What marketing does Bill and Melinda Gates need? It's not like they're marketing for Microsoft - they're giving away their own money to help the world. Could you be any more selfish and bitter? What do you do for the good of the world?

    3. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by Rockoon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The best marketing half a billion dollars can buy?

      Take the tinfoil off.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    4. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by geekymachoman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What marketing does Bill and Melinda Gates need? It's not like they're marketing for Microsoft - they're giving away their own money to help the world. Could you be any more selfish and bitter? What do you do for the good of the world?

      And if you think that the only way to do good for the world is with money(seems there are entire cultures based on this - money is your god idea), then no wonder this planet's becoming a shit hole.
      What happened to just being good to each other, self sacrifice.. about actually "giving" and caring for people ? Maybe the guy you said this to is doing exactly that, but I guess that doesn't count in your eyes, yes ?

      There are many ways in which you can do good.
      Don't fall for strict left/right, good/bad, good guys/bad guys philosophy of thinking. Everything matters. The only difference between us is that some people may do more to help, while other less, but that doesn't mean anything. We're collectively evolving and we're in a same boat, each every one of us.

    5. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by Tom · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And the solution to capitalism is?

      Realizing that capitalism is an economic system, not a religion. It does not cover all of human existence nor all of societies needs. It covers the production and distribution of for-profit goods and services, and that is it.

      Art, health care, police, firefighters and other disaster prevention, education, public transport, communications, housing and other basics (energy, water, food, etc.) go beyond what capitalism can provide. This is where the better mix is some parts capitalism, some parts something else - whatever you want to call it.

      Unless, of course, you agree that people dying of thirst in the streets because the market has set an optimal price point for water above what they can afford is the kind of world you want to live in. Or that the thieves go free if they pay the police more than you do.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    6. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Small scale tribal communities will only scale well after an apocalypse.. And even then, they'll amount to bully-rules, as they always have. Something like the Taliban or the Pentacostals always turns up.

    7. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by ooshna · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think that $560 million can do a lot more for the world than if I volunteered at a soup kitchen. Sure I might make that homeless guys day but they can improve exponentially more lives than I can with that money. And I believe that until resource/energy sarcity is a thing of the past large somes of money put to good use in the right places will make a bigger impact on the world than what an individual can. You might be willing to donate your time and work hard but you have to pay for supplies. Your points are valid but don't try to take away from all the good the Gates do just because they are doing it with money.

    8. Re:Buying Windows does some good in the world! by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Insightful

      exactly

      capitalism is a beast of burden. yolk it and you can plough your land and do great things. let it loose and it runs roughshod over your farm, breaking everything

      you don't worship capitalism, you put it to work: you siphon off the excess capital and do some good with it. what's the alternative? richie rich getting another mansion?

      not that there shouldn't be rich people. but they are rich because of the society they are in. so that society needs to be taken care of

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  2. Philanthropy by dark+grep · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Many may well consider such acts of philanthropy completely altruistic. Whether you agree with the cause or not, only the most cynical of people would view it as 'marketing' or 'self promotion', and even if it actually is that; so what? The people who will benefit from it wont care - it doesn't matter what the motivation for doing it is, the end result is what is important.

    Personally, I think the motivation is truly altruistic and comes from a genuine desire to do good in the world. The point I would make is; anyone 'richer than God' is going to acquire the same philosophy. Why are mega rich people altruistic? Because they can be. When every conceivable want and desire is met, what is left but to be generous to your fellow man?

    I for one would welcome the opportunity to do exactly that myself. If only I had some software I could sell to IBM.

  3. Re:She is not a good person after all. by SuricouRaven · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You appear to be confusing contraception with abortion. While abortion is an issue still much debated, the ethics of contraception are more-or-less settled now for everyone except the Catholic church and a few other religious groups, and even they don't equate it with murder.

  4. Re:What would YOU do? by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, if you were in the Gate's position, how would YOU spend your money for the common good?

    Give it back to the people I stole it from through monopoly rent and hope that at least some of the additional damage I've done to the economy can still be undone.

    Do Economy 101 again and listen carefully on the part about monopolies.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org