A new Supreme Court case, United States v. Skrmetti, will challenge Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1, which prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Katelyn Burns , columnist for MSNBC, first ever openly trans Capitol Hill Reporter, co-host of the podcast Cancel Me Daddy, and co-founder of the publication the Flytrap, sits down to talk with us about this case and what realities the trans community will face under the new administration. Tennessee’s law would ban best practice medical car...
Dec 03, 2024•41 min•Ep. 240
The November election will undoubtedly send sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice (SRHRJ) spiraling. Erin Matson , Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Reproaction, sits down to talk with us about the devastating consequences of a second Trump administration and what actions can be taken now before inauguration day. Top of mind is the implementation of Project 2025 and the Life at Conception Act, which would institute federal fetal personhood and override state law to act as a federal...
Nov 26, 2024•36 min•Ep. 239
After the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade , and for many years before, Florida served as an abortion access point for many people in the South. But with changing judicial interpretation of “privacy” in the state, access to abortion in Florida has shifted. Laura Goodhue, Executive Director of Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, sits down to talk with us about the status of abortion access in Florida and the outcome of the state ballot initiative in the November 2024 elec...
Nov 19, 2024•27 min•Ep. 238
Power to Decide, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive wellbeing for all, has launched a new survey initiative called the Youth Reproductive Health Access Survey. It aims to collect annual data on young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services, with emphasis on contraception and abortion. Riley Steiner , Senior Director, Research and Evaluation at Power to Decide, sits down to talk to us about the survey’s findings—including information gaps, prefe...
Nov 12, 2024•31 min•Ep. 237
Today is already stressful as is—that’s why we thought it a perfect time for round 6 of our series, SRHR Hero Origin Stories! If you haven’t already, check out our previous episodes, SRHR Hero Origin Stories , SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 2 , SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 3, SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 4 , and SRHR Origin Stories: Round 5 , where we talked to a number of amazing heroes in the field of reproductive health, rights, and justice about how they began working in this space. W...
Nov 05, 2024•49 min•Ep. 236
On election day, Arizonans can vote to amend the state Constitution to establish the fundamental right to abortion. This amendment, which would undoubtedly increase access to abortion care, is especially salient given that Arizona has become an abortion access battleground state since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Alex Gomez , Executive Director of LUCHA – Living United for Change in Arizona, sits down to talk to us about Propositi...
Oct 30, 2024•27 min•Ep. 235
Disinformation around reproductive health and rights is highly strategic, leading to pervasive narratives that intentionally divide and control. Anneshia Hardy , scholar-activist, social impact entrepreneur, and narrative strategist, and Executive Director of both Alabama Values and Alabama Values Progress, sits down to talk to us about pervasive narratives and mis- and disinformation surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), particularly in the Black community, and how busti...
Oct 22, 2024•38 min•Ep. 234
From self-care advice to an imaginary performance on the Great British Bake Off, Rachel Fey, Vice President, Policy, and Strategic Partnerships at Power to Decide, asks our host Jennie Wetter a collection of ask me anything (AMA) questions! 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.social Email us : jenni...
Oct 15, 2024•21 min•Ep. 233
Abortion is a human right—it’s outlined in international treaties and standards that apply to the United States. But even before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the United States was not meeting its human rights obligations. Tarah Demant , National Director of Programs at Amnesty International USA, sits down to talk with us about a new Amnesty report highlighting the status of U.S. abortion access since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case that overturned Roe . Because...
Oct 08, 2024•59 min•Ep. 232
The Global Gag Rule (GGR) prevents foreign non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. foreign assistance funds from providing, advocating for, counseling on, or referring for abortion services—and has successfully done so for 40 years. Beirne Roose-Snyder , Senior Director at the Preclusion Project, and Bergen Cooper , Senior Research Advisor at the Preclusion Project and Chief Operating Officer with the Torchlight Collective, sit down to talk with us about the history of this destructive ...
Oct 01, 2024•34 min•Ep. 231
Next week, the Supreme Court term will begin. While there are no abortion cases on the docket yet, there are many cases that concern sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice and the rights of the LGBTQI+ community. Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire News Group and co-host of Rewire News Group's podcast Boom! Lawyered, sits down to talk with us about some cases that face SCOTUS this term, as well as potential cases to keep a careful eye on. Unite...
Sep 24, 2024•30 min•Ep. 230
Economics and reproductive health and rights are connected issues. Especially in states where abortion is banned and contraception faces increasing attacks, associated costs for care can vary widely. Kate Bahn , Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, sits down to talk with us about the economic impacts of attacks to reproductive health and rights—on an individual, local, and national level. Access (or lack thereof) to abortion and cont...
Sep 17, 2024•35 min•Ep. 229
The Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the Constitution, protects people from discrimination on the basis of sex. Kate Kelly , Senior Director of the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress, sits down to talk with us all about the Equal Rights Amendment—its history, its importance for abortion access preservation, and what’s necessary for certification. The ERA, passed in 1923, is not a law but a constitutional amendment. Once put in, it cannot be removed. The ERA’s introduct...
Sep 10, 2024•52 min•Ep. 228
The Midwest is a patchwork of different abortion laws—while some states like Michigan and Minnesota have protected access, others have completely banned care, like Indiana and Missouri. Garnet Henderson , Senior Multiplatform Reporter at Rewire News Group and host and producer of ACCESS: A Podcast About Abortion, sits down to talk with us about abortion access in the Midwest, including how it may be further impacted by recent funding changes to the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parent...
Sep 03, 2024•37 min•Ep. 227
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. The agency advocates for, provides access to, and educates on sexual and reproductive health and rights services. Rebecca Zerzan , editor with UNFPA, sits down to talk with us about UNFPA’s 2024 state of world population report, Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights . Rebecca also details the ways in which global misinformation impa...
Aug 27, 2024•38 min•Ep. 226
Title IX, a civil rights law enacted in 1972, is a statute meant to protect students from sex discrimination in educational environments to maintain equal opportunity to educational access. This year, the Biden administration released a new Title IX rule, which provides additional protections for those who are most likely to experience sex discrimination at school. Shiwali Patel , Senior Director of Safe and Inclusive Schools at the National Women’s Law Center, sits down with us to talk about wh...
Aug 20, 2024•28 min•Ep. 225
In previous episodes, we’ve outlined Project 2025’s reach into global governance, LGBTQI+ health and rights, and the international sphere. Sabrina Talukder, Director of the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress, sits down to talk with us about what the Heritage Foundation’s conservative roadmap means specifically for U.S. sexual and reproductive health and rights. Project 2025 seeks to misapply the Comstock Act— a 150-year-old law which would allow enforcement power to investiga...
Aug 13, 2024•30 min•Ep. 224
Many of the outlined ambitions of Project 2025 are focused around concentrating executive power, de-regulation, and religious protections, all of which have massive implications in the U.S. and around the world. Gillian Kane , Director of Global Research and Advocacy at Ipas, sits down to talks with us about the active, global reach of Project 2025 and Protego—in multiple countries and in global governance. In the previous administration, the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD) was a tool to ceme...
Aug 06, 2024•25 min•Ep. 223
In conflicts, disasters, and climate and health emergencies, many often consider food, shelter, and water to be the immediate needs of those impacted. While these are incredibly important requirements, women and girls are uniquely impacted by these emergencies, and sexual and reproductive health and rights must also be realized. Gayatri Patel , Chief of External Affairs at the Malala Fund and Senior Fellow with rePROs Fight Back, talks to us about the importance of SRHR provision in humanitarian...
Jul 30, 2024•33 min•Ep. 222
Project 2025 is a broad vision regarding the future of the United States led by the Heritage Foundation. The project is hundreds of pages, centered on continuing a conservative United States through consolidating power in presidency, getting rid of civil servants, and further marginalizing already vulnerable communities. Sarah Warbelow , Vice President, Legal, at the Human Rights Campaign, sits down to talk with us about Project 2025’s specific restrictions targeted at the LGBTQI+ community. Pro...
Jul 23, 2024•33 min•Ep. 221
This week, we are doing things a little differently! We hear from advocates, medical providers, leaders, and researchers, who tell us about their strategies, reflections, hopes, and joys during the ongoing fight for sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. Guests featured in this episode include: Jennie Wetter, Director of rePROs Fight Back Dr. Monica McLemore , Professor of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing at the University of Washington and Director of the Manning Price...
Jul 16, 2024•30 min•Ep. 220
On June 27th, 2024, the Supreme Court punted Idaho v. United States consolidated with Moyle v. United States , which called into question whether federal law protects doctors who provide abortion care in a medical emergency. Jessica Mason Pieklo , Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire News Group and co-host of Rewire News Group's podcast Boom! Lawyered, talks to us about the implications of the punted case, as well as other Supreme Court rulings that have utterly gutted the admini...
Jul 09, 2024•43 min•Ep. 219
In the past month, the Supreme Court has interacted with three cases that have stark implications for the reproductive health, rights, and wellbeing of many across the U.S. Madiba Dennie , author of The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take it Back and Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes, sits down to talk to us about originalism, the recent Supreme Court case rulings, and what it all means for the...
Jul 02, 2024•35 min•Ep. 218
Medicaid, the largest public health insurance program for people in the United States, exists on a state-by-state basis. But how could Medicaid possibly relate to sexual and reproductive health? Fabiola De Liban , Director, Sexual and Reproductive Health, with the National Health Law Program, sits down to talk with us about what is covered under the program, what’s not covered, Medicaid’s disturbing history related to family planning, and the barriers that patients face on a day-to-day basis. Me...
Jun 25, 2024•38 min•Ep. 217
Two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion providers across the United States are sharing their reflections on the current state of abortion access, how to take action, and their visions for the future. Guests include: Dr. Rachel Chisausky , family medicine physician in the Northwest and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health Dr. Keemi Ereme , OB/GYN and abortion provider in Seattle, Washington and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health Dr. Miriam McQuade, abortion ...
Jun 18, 2024•29 min•Ep. 216
Abortion is impossible to access in the Dominican Republic and extremely inaccessible in Brazil. Misinformation, gender-based violence, and influences from the harmful U.S. anti-abortion movement are contributing to rates of higher need in countries where abortion access is remarkably difficult. Garnet Henderson , Senior Reporter at Rewire News Group and host and producer of ACCESS: A Podcast About Abortion , sits down to talk with us about the current status of abortion in the Dominican Republi...
Jun 11, 2024•40 min•Ep. 215
Mourning, anger, and grief were top-line emotions after the overturning of Roe v. Wade . Still, a recently released collection of essays and stories highlights the very real and inspiring on-the-ground work and experiences of reproductive justice leaders, health care professionals, patients, artists, legislators, and more in the wake of Roe’s overturning. Krystale Littlejohn and Rickie Solinger , editors of Fighting Mad: Resisting the End of Roe v. Wade , sits down to remind us about the fact th...
Jun 04, 2024•43 min•Ep. 214
Despite often being dismissed as foreign or cultural problems, harmful gender-based practices exist in every community across the United States, affecting countless individuals. Maniza Habib , Research Associate at Population Institute and Amani Nelson , Research Fellow at Population Institute, sit down to talk with us about how to achieve legislative progress and a culturally informed approach to addressing these harms. Behind Closed Doors confronts the reality of female genital mutilation/cutt...
May 28, 2024•37 min•Ep. 213
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade , abortion funds have been working overtime to support skyrocketing amounts of patients in need . And while there was a large influx in donations to abortion funds after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case, those donations have waned in recent years. Lindsey Mullen , Co-Executive Director of the Alabama Cohosh Collaborative and Natalie Price , board member of the Fountain Street Choice Fund, sits down to talk with us about ...
May 21, 2024•33 min•Ep. 212
Sexual and reproductive health doesn’t disappear in humanitarian settings. People don’t stop needing obstetric care, getting pregnant, needing birth control, needing safe abortion care, or needing gender-based violence support in emergency situations. In fact, 65% of all maternal deaths, 50% of all newborn deaths, and 51% of all stillbirths occur in humanitarian settings. Judith Starkulla , Head of Office for UNFPA in Gaza, shares her thoughts on the SRHR needs of those in the region. UNFPA supp...
May 14, 2024•28 min•Ep. 211
