Dear AHA Foundation Supporter,

Last month, we celebrated Pennsylvania finally banning female genital mutilation (FGM). O ur Executive Director, George Zarubin, and FGM survivor F.A. Cole attended the ceremonial signing of the anti-FGM bill and thanked Governor Tom Wolf for his support.

North Carolina is following suit, and is close to becoming the 35th state to criminalize the practice. Find out here which states have weak, or no anti-FGM laws, and how you can help change that.

Thanks to your contributions, our Critical Thinking Fellowship (CTF) campus program fellows are on the front lines of the battle for free speech and critical thought on college campuses. Through impartial debates and events, they engage others on campus in open-minded inquiry about contentious cultural, religious, and policy issues. The CTF is now accepting new students, and in her blog this month our Campus Program Manager, Julia O’Donnell, shares the top three reasons for becoming a fellow.

After the Department of Justice refused to defend the federal anti-FGM law, AHA Foundation joined Representative Carolyn Maloney at a press conference where she condemned the decision and called for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take action. Read here why Rep. Maloney refuses to let girls in the U.S. go unprotected from this horrendous act.

You have made the fight against FGM in the U.S. possible. Please help us continue this life-saving work by joining our monthly giving program. We must not stop until every girl in the U.S. is safe from this form of child abuse.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Founder

July newsletter: Join AHA Foundation’s campus program, Rep. Maloney stands up for women’s rights in the U.S., Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signs anti-FGM legislation