Time - INT (2022-06-06)

What makes a country
committed to gender
equality and the empow-
erment of women? Uni-
versal access to sexual and
reproductive health care
is key, according to the
U.N. But to Mississippi
attorney general Lynn
Fitch, banning abortion
is the way to empower
women.
For 49 years, anti-
abortion activists in the
U.S. have fought a care-
ful battle to overturn
Roe v. Wade,the 1973
case that established the
right to abortion. Now,
as nearly 60 other coun-
tries have liberalized their
abortion laws in the past

a national furor in May,

and the fi nal decision is

sure to further infl ame

the debate. The outcome

of her case will have rip-

ple eff ects not just for

women in every state—

some of which plan to

outright ban abortion if

Roe is overturned—but

across every aspect of

American society.

Abrams is a TIME

staff writer

25 years, the U.S. is poised

to roll back that right.

Fitch is leading the

fi nal charge. As her

state’s top lawyer, she ar-

gued that the Supreme

Court should overturn

Roe because it was “egre-

giously wrong,” and be-

cause societal advances

mean women no lon-

ger needed abortions.

A leaked draft of a Su-

preme Court opinion

overruling Roe set off

Mao Zedong might have declared that
“women hold up half the sky,” but in truth the “women hold up half the sky,” but in truth the “women hold up half the sky,” but in truth the
People’s Republic is ruled by an entrenched People’s Republic is ruled by an entrenched
patriarchy. Only eight women have risen to patriarchy. Only eight women have risen to
China’s powerful Politburo of the Chinese China’s powerful Politburo of the Chinese
Communist Party, and three of them were Communist Party, and three of them were
wives of founding cadres, including Mao’s.wives of founding cadres, including Mao’s.

Sun Chunlan had no such elite con-Sun Chunlan had no such elite con-

nections. China’s only current female nections. China’s only current female

Vice Premier and Politburo member climbed Vice Premier and Politburo member climbed

the party ziggurat from working on a watch- the party ziggurat from working on a watch-

factory fl oor to lead the freewheeling coastal factory fl oor to lead the freewheeling coastal

province of Fujian and later the port city of province of Fujian and later the port city of

Tianjin. Today, the 71-year-old is the nation’s Tianjin. Today, the 71-year-old is the nation’s

top offi cial overseeing COVID-19 pandemic top offi cial overseeing COVID-19 pandemic

control, demonstrating the tremendous control, demonstrating the tremendous

faith shown in her by strongman President faith shown in her by strongman President

Xi Jinping at a critical point, with outbreaks Xi Jinping at a critical point, with outbreaks

in a number of major cities. in a number of major cities.

When COVID-19 fi rst exploded in Wuhan When COVID-19 fi rst exploded in Wuhan

in February 2020, Sun spent three months in February 2020, Sun spent three months

toiling in the stricken city at great personal toiling in the stricken city at great personal

risk. Since the Omicron variant emerged, risk. Since the Omicron variant emerged,

Sun has been pivotal to maintaining China’s Sun has been pivotal to maintaining China’s

“dynamic zero-COVID policy” through strict “dynamic zero-COVID policy” through strict

testing and isolation protocols. That policy testing and isolation protocols. That policy

has come under sharp criticism as Shang-has come under sharp criticism as Shang-

hai, China’s largest city, with 26 million hai, China’s largest city, with 26 million

people, remains under harsh lockdown. But people, remains under harsh lockdown. But

Sun is staunchly upholding Xi’s diktat. She Sun is staunchly upholding Xi’s diktat. She

may not have destroyed China’s glass ceil-may not have destroyed China’s glass ceil-

ing, but Sun is both reformers’ best hope and ing, but Sun is both reformers’ best hope and

their strongest argument. their strongest argument.

Campbell is a TIME correspondentCampbell is a TIME correspondent

Khurram Parvez, who serves

as chairperson of the Asian

Federation Against Involun-

tary Disappearances, was

arrested in November of last

year. He had to be silenced,

for his was a voice that

resounded around the globe

for his fi erce fi ght against

human-rights violations and

injustices in the Kashmir

region. The arrest came

almost a year after India

revoked the special status

given to Kashmir and detained

hundreds who protested in

the streets. It was not the

fi rst time that Parvez was

forcibly silenced. The attacks

against him speak volumes

of the truth he represents at a

time when the world’s largest

democracy is being called

out for its persecution of the

more than 200 million Indian

Muslims.

The soft-spoken Khurram

is almost a modern-day David

who gave a voice to families

that lost their children to

enforced disappearances,

allegedly by the Indian state.

Khurram is the story and the

storyteller of the insurgency

and the betrayal of the people

of Kashmir.

Ayyub is a journalist

Lynn Fitch

Arguing to overturn

BY ABIGAIL ABRAMS

Khurram

Parvez

Warrior for justice

BY RANA AYYUB

Sun Chunlan

DecisionmDecisionmakeraker

B Y C H A R L I E C A M P B E L LB Y C H A R L I E C A M P B E L L

FITCH: ROGELIO V. SOLIS—AP; SUN: YANG QING—XINHUA/GETTY IMAGES; PARVEZ SOURCE PHOTO: COURTESY KHURRAM PARVEZ

66 TIME June 6/June 13, 2022