Young people deserve access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare—but those needs aren’t always easy to acquire in the United States. Diana Thu-Thao Rhodes , Vice President of Policy, Partnerships, and Organizing at Advocates for Youth, sits down to talk with us about the barriers young people face when in need of sex education and sexual and reproductive health services. Young people’s access to sex education in the United States isn’t a pretty picture; a patchwork of legislation ...
Oct 05, 2021•39 min•Ep. 121
On September 1st, 2021, Texas effectively banned abortion in the state. Amy Hagstrom Miller , founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health and Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, sits down to talk to us about the tremendous stress that Texas’s new legislation has already had on patients, abortion providers, clinic staff, and abortion funds. Texas’s SB8 outlaws abortion care after six weeks of pregnancy—far before many people even know they are pregnant and before many people can even receive an abortion a...
Sep 21, 2021•38 min•Ep. 120
Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban and the destruction caused to Haiti by a 7.92 magnitude earthquake have created two simultaneously unfolding humanitarian situations. Rachel Moynihan , Advocacy and Communications Specialist at the United Nations, sits down with us to discuss the work that UNFPA does to support and expand access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for populations in humanitarian settings, and how UNFPA is assisting in Afghanistan and Haiti specifically. UNFPA, the Unite...
Sep 07, 2021•40 min•Ep. 119
As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, a humanitarian crisis is quickly unfolding in the country. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have been displaced, with women and girls making up 80 percent of those displaced individuals. Gayatri Patel, Vice President for External Relations at the Women’s Refugee Commission, sits down to talk with us about the situation unfolding in Afghanistan, what it means for women and girls, and what we can do to help. Currently, there’s an urgent need to get people o...
Aug 24, 2021•36 min•Ep. 118
It’s no secret that 2021 has seen endless attacks on abortion access. Most notably, Texas is attempting to not only ban abortion at six weeks but allow anyone in the U.S. to sue any person involved in providing abortion care or helping someone in Texas access abortion care. Jessica Mason Pieklo , Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire News Group and co-host of Boom! Lawyered podcast, talks to us about the abortion ban out of Texas and the critical Mississippi case making its way in...
Aug 10, 2021•45 min•Ep. 117
It’s no secret that state legislatures across the country are working tirelessly to restrict access to abortion care. From forcing patients to travel to neighboring states to stigma-based counseling sessions, accessing an abortion comes with countless hurdles. Jackie Blank , Federal Legislative Strategist and Campaign Manager for the Women’s Health Protection Act Campaign at the Center for Reproductive Rights, talks to us about how the Women’s Health Protection Act will ensure reproductive choic...
Jul 27, 2021•34 min•Ep. 116
Reproductive health and the Catholic church have been heavily featured in the current news—from the Fulton v. Philadelphia Supreme Court case to the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops moving to deny President Joe Biden, who is Catholic, the sacrament of communion. Jamie Manson , President of Catholics for Choice, talks to us about these recent instances of the Catholic Church’s reach over sexual and reproductive health and rights. The Fulton v. Philadelphia Supreme Court case involved Catholic S...
Jul 13, 2021•32 min•Ep. 115
When many people hear the term ‘self-managed abortion,’ they may think unsafe abortion or pre-Roe v. Wade methods of terminating a pregnancy. Nowadays, self-managed medication abortion is extremely safe, effective, and can be done in the comfort and privacy of one’s own home. Erin Matson , Executive Director of Reproaction, sits down to talk with us about the myths, barriers to care, and the actions folks can take around self-managed abortion. Self-managed abortion refers to when somebody ends t...
Jun 29, 2021•30 min•Ep. 114
The Global Gag Rule has been intermittently preventing global communities from accessing comprehensive healthcare for the last 37 years. This Global Gag Rule Repeal Week of Action, it’s important to recognize that ending this harmful policy is extremely urgent. Rebecca Dennis , Senior Legislative Policy Analyst at PAI, sits down to update us on the Global Gag Rule, the impacts it has had around the world, and what we can do to make sure it is repealed once and for all. The Global Gag Rule is an ...
Jun 21, 2021•29 min•Ep. 113
Did you know that in a 2016 referendum, 86% of D.C. residents voted in favor of statehood? Dr. Serina Floyd, OB/GYN and Medical Director/Vice President of Medical Services at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Kory Stuer , Public Affairs Manager at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C, sit down to talk with us about the importance of statehood for Washington, D.C., and what it would mean for the reproductive health, rights, and justice of D.C. residents. Washin...
Jun 15, 2021•32 min•Ep. 112
Under the Trump administration, global LGBTQI+ health and rights faced an unprecedented assault. Andrea Gillespie, Sexual Health and Rights Policy Advisor with the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), sits down to talk with us about progress made by the Biden-Harris administration and what pieces of legislation we can advance to prevent backsliding. Under the Trump administration, global LGBTQI+ rights were facing unprecedented attack. In fact, those serving in the Trump administration had long...
Jun 09, 2021•35 min•Ep. 111
What does a world that has achieved abortion justice look like? It has access to a full spectrum of reproductive health care, where abortion is affordable, accessible, safe, de-stigmatized, without barriers, and never based on income or zip code. Daniela Ochoa Diaz , Federal Strategies Manager with All* Above All, sits down to talk with us about what we need to accomplish to reach abortion justice for all. Abortion justice applies a justice lens to abortion care and access, applying how economic...
Jun 01, 2021•30 min•Ep. 110
On Monday, May 17th, the Supreme Court announced that they would hear a court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) , out of Mississippi that seeks to ban almost all abortion at 15 weeks or later. Dr. Daniel Grossman , obstetrician/gynecologist, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California San Francisco, and Director of a policy-based research program within the OB/GYN Department entitled Advancing New Standa...
May 20, 2021•25 min•Ep. 109
While Roe v. Wade may be the law of the land, abortion has always been inaccessible and a right on paper only for so many in the United States. Since the passage of Roe, there have been 1,200 abortion restrictions enacted, with 2021 on track to be one of the worst years for abortion restrictions. Jamille Fields-Allsbrook , Director of Women’s Health and Rights at the Center for American Progress and Nora Ellmann , Research Associate for Women’s Health and Rights at the Center for American Progre...
May 18, 2021•36 min•Ep. 108
We have just passed 100 days of the Biden-Harris Administration! Christina Krysinski , Counsel and Senior Manager of Policy at NARAL Pro-Choice America sits down to talk with us about the reproductive health and rights victories achieved during this period, as well as what the administration can do more of to ensure health and rights for all. In his second week in office, President Biden ended the Trump administration’s expanded global gag rule (also known as the Mexico City policy), and also be...
May 04, 2021•33 min•Ep. 107
Last week the Biden took two actions to expand access to reproductive health care: the FDA lightening restrictions to medication abortion access during the pandemic and the Biden administration beginning its rollback of Trump’s harmful Title X program rules. Dee Srivastava , Policy Analyst at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Nina Serriane , Legislative Affairs Manager at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, celebrate the recent changes in access to medication abortion and the li...
Apr 20, 2021•35 min•Ep. 106
April 11 – 17, 2021, marks the fourth annual Black Maternal Health Week . In this bonus episode, Dr. Jamila Perritt , board certified OB/GYN and President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health and Dr. Mishka S. Peart , OB/GYN and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, talk to us about the importance of highlighting and discussing the disparities in abortion, contraception, and maternal health access and outcomes for Black people in the United States. There are undeniable race- a...
Apr 12, 2021•32 min•Ep. 105
LGBTQ+ people, overall, lack equal rights and access in the United States. In fact, in most of the U.S., LGBTQ+ people face discrimination in housing, credit, public accommodations, jury service, and other public arenas that don’t directly involve marriage or employment. It’s also no secret that Republicans around the country have been passing legislation for years that attacks the health and rights of transgender people . Charlotte Clymer , writer, LGBTQ+ advocate, and Director of Communication...
Apr 06, 2021•55 min•Ep. 104
Gender-based violence, or GBV, is harm perpetrated against a person’s will on the basis of their gender or gender characteristics. It is such a widespread global issue that 1 in 3 women have reported experiencing some form of gender-based violence. Gayatri Patel , Director of Gender Advocacy at CARE USA, talks to us about this universal issue. GBV can include rape or sexual violence, domestic or intimate partner violence, human trafficking, child marriage, harassment, controlling behavior, a...
Mar 23, 2021•36 min•Ep. 103
Catholics have abortions at the same rate as others in the U.S. 58% of Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 68% of Catholics in the U.S. do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Jamie Manson , President of Catholics for Choice, talks to us about all of the ways that Catholicism deeply impacts the human rights of many in the United States. “Theology of the body,” a theological idea developed by Pope John Paul II, teaches that God made men and women in a specifi...
Mar 09, 2021•39 min•Ep. 102
“Bridgerton” is a 2020 Netflix show that follows the fictional Bridgerton siblings as they seek love in Regency-era London. The first season features plots relating to maternal mortality, consent, sex education, and much, much more. Laura D. Lindberg , Principal Research Scientist for the Guttmacher Institute, talks to us about the sexual and reproductive health issues that Bridgerton explores, and the ways in which sex education today may be just as hard to access as it was in 1813 London. Issu...
Feb 23, 2021•42 min•Ep. 101
This week we are doing things a little differently! To celebrate rePROs Fight Back’s 100th episode, host Jennie Wetter will be answering questions sent in by listeners. This week, sit back, relax, and get to know the rePROs Fight Back host just a bit better! For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.socia...
Feb 09, 2021•57 min•Ep. 100
Medication abortion provides safe, effective, and time-sensitive medical care to patients around the U.S. that require an abortion. Unfortunately, medication abortion faces multiple restrictions, with the Supreme Court recently ruling that patients must access the medication in-person. Especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, these restrictions are not only unnecessary, but blatantly dangerous. Dr. Jamila Perritt , a board-certified OBGYN and family planning specialist, and President...
Jan 26, 2021•32 min•Ep. 99
Clinics that are funded by Title X provide critical family planning care to many around the U.S. This care includes pelvic exams, STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings, birth control prescription services, and more. The Trump administration’s 2019 administrative rule, sometimes referred to as the domestic gag rule, has completely gutted the Title X program Robin Summers, Vice President of Healthcare Strategy and Analysis and Senior Council at the National Family Planning and Reproductive ...
Jan 19, 2021•32 min•Ep. 98
Reproductive Justice is the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. Monica Raye Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong, Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, sits down with us to talk about how the framework of reproductive justice is deeply interwoven into events that are currently happening in the United States. For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://re...
Jan 15, 2021•35 min•Ep. 97
Health care is a human right and yet immigrants in the US cannot receive appropriate health insurance coverage or healthcare because of their immigration status. Abbey Zhu, member of the Chicago chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), Luisa Cuautle, activist with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (NLIRJ) and Candace Gibson, Associate Director of Government Relations at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice sit down with us to t...
Jan 12, 2021•36 min•Ep. 96
The the Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice (the Blueprint) lays out a comprehensive, proactive domestic and foreign policy agenda to achieve reproductive health, rights, and justice, envisioning a future that sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice advocates would like to live in. Michelle Batchelor, Vice President of Government Affairs at In Our Own Voice-- National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda and Caitlin Horrigan, Director of Global Advo...
Dec 29, 2020•56 min•Ep. 95
The International Center for Research on Women defines feminist foreign policy as “the policy of a state that defines its interactions with other states and movements in a manner that prioritizes gender equality and enshrines the human rights of women and other marginalized groups, allocates significant resources to achieve that vision and seeks, through its implementation, to disrupt racist, patriarchal and male-dominated power structures across all levers of influence, such as aid, trade, defe...
Dec 15, 2020•30 min•Ep. 94
Infertility is estimated to impact 10 to 15 percent of couples in the United States, making it the most common diseases of people between the ages of 20 and 45. Frankie Robertson, with the National Birth Equity Collaborative and the Amandla Group, takes time to talk to us about the intricacies of infertility and why we need to look at it as a reproductive justice issue. For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ Support the show Follow Us on Social...
Dec 01, 2020•29 min•Ep. 93
Newly-appointed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has a proven track record of being a very conservative judge on issues like sexual violence, the Affordable Care Act, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive health and rights. In her confirmation hearing, Justice Barrett refused to answer many questions surrounding abortion, in vitro fertilization, and birth control. Caroline Reilly , legal fellow with Rewire News Group, talks to us about Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s past experience and personal vi...
Nov 17, 2020•41 min•Ep. 92
