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 introduction and popularity became a target for the conservative right, and its ratification has faced barriers ever since, including during the Trump administration. The current Federal Register archivist has said in her confirmation hearings that she will not certify anything she isn’t instructed to, which leaves the U.S. at its current standing. Many organizations and Congresspeople, though, are pushing for the ERA’s introduction into the Constitution as the 28th amendment. Support the showFollow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 Parenthood Federation of America.People residing in or near states that have banned abortion often travel to Illinois for care (although some may also travel to states like Nebraska, Minnesota, and Kansas), which was the state with the single largest increase in its abortion rate after Dobbs due to out-of-state travelers. These states are having to absorb skyrocketing rates of traveling patients on top of in-state patients seeking care. Iowa’s abortion restrictions and abysmal access rates to OB/GYN care and maternity care has resulted in maternity care deserts across large swaths of the state, and a shocking 61% of hospitals in rural areas having no labor and delivery service. Simultaneously, the Justice Fund, a financial assistance fund for low-income patients which is shared between PPFA and NAF, has been reduced with less than a month’s notice from 50% coverage per patient to 30%. This leaves patients with an even more shrunken lifeline to access.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 impacts access to care.UNFPA is the world’s largest procurer of donated contraception, which is distributed mostly in low- and middle-income countries. UNFPA also works closely with local organizations and agencies to facilitate access to medically accurate, culturally sensitive education. UNFPA’s recent report looks back over the last three decades, when the scale of maternal death was unknown, rates of adolescent births were higher, and rates of women’s contraception usage was halved, and discusses global progress. The report also researches misinformation around the world and how that impacts an individual’s access to comprehensive care.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 what this rule change accomplishes and what challenges it faces. In April 2024, the Biden administration released the new rule, which, most significantly, clarified protections for LGBTQI+ students, provided additional protections for pregnant and parenting students, and expands protections against sexual harassment. The rule also undid many of the Trump administration’s harmful Title IX changes. Unfortunately, these celebrated changes are being challenged in court. In addition, some congressional members are using the Congressional Review Act to attempt to reverse these protections.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 investigate the U.S. mail for items of an “illicit,” “lewd,” or “immoral” purpose, including items related to abortion—as a national, backdoor abortion ban. Comstock could be applied not only to abortion education and medication sent through the mail, but medical equipment, as well. In addition, Project 2025 seeks to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, which protects free access to emergency contraception for 48 million women in the U.S. Project 2025 will no doubt negatively impact the U.S.’ already abysmal Black maternal health crisis.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 cement America and its allies as anti-abortion. This manifesto, signed by 36+ countries, pushes national sovereignty, “traditional” family structures, and anti-abortion ideology, and is used as a guide for Project 2025. Protego, a program designed by the Institute for Women’s Health (IWH), is a new project dedicated to ensuring the GCD takes off. Valerie Huber, past member of the Trump administration and current head of the IWH, has traveled to multiple countries and spoken primarily to first ladies on the implementation of Protego. Valerie Huber is known to be anti-abortion, anti-LBTQI+, and a proponent of abstinence-only education. Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 settings.Gaps in healthcare access extend to abortion, contraception, gender-based violence and sexual violence counseling and care, STI testing/treatment, and more, often brought on by impacted health infrastructure and supply chains. The implementation, support, and prioritization of these comprehensive needs is a step in the right direction for protecting women and girls in crisis scenarios. Some new practices and approaches are showing promising results, and include mobile clinics, cash assistance, legal assistance and further availability of contraception and midwives. Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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.Project 2025 seeks to gut protections against discrimination based on sex across education, healthcare, employment, and more. Project 2025 also seeks to rid the federal government’s website of LGBTQI+ inclusive language, prevent access to gender-affirming healthcare, and prevent LGBTQI+ families from adopting children. Anti-LGBTQI+ policy in Project 2025 extends not only in the U.S., but around the world.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 BackDr. Monica McLemore, Professor of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing at the University of Washington and Director of the Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism and Equity in NursingDr. Diane Horvath, OB/GYN and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Partners of Abortion CareBeirne Roose-Snyder, Senior Policy Fellow at the Council for Global EqualityGreer Donley, Associate Professor with a reproductive rights focus at University of Pittsburgh Law SchoolRev. Katey Zeh, CEO for the Religious Community for Reproductive ChoiceTarah Demant, National Director of Programs at Amnesty International Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 administrative state.  Idaho v. United States consolidated with Moyle v. United States centered on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which upholds the right to needed healthcare in an emergency. The case centered around EMTALA wasn’t decided on merit—instead, it was dismissed back to the lower courts. At the same time, there exists a similar lawsuit out of Texas questioning EMTALA’s status against the state’s abortion ban. Other Supreme Court cases that will undoubtedly impact the health and rights of Americans include Grants Pass v. Johnson and Chevron U.S.A Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Grants Pass, in short, criminalizes and fines those without shelter—which particularly impacts queer youth, those facing domestic violence, people with disabilities, people with mental health issues, and youth who have aged out of foster care systems. Chevron takes deference and administrative decision-making power away from federal agencies and gives it instead to judges. Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 sexual and reproductive health and rights of Americans.On June 13, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that plaintiffs in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine—which challenged access to nationwide medication abortion—did not have a legal standing. For now, this ruling preserves the post-Dobbs status-quo, protecting access to mifepristone, a safe and common medication used in nearly two-thirds of abortions, in some states. On June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Rahimi to prevent those with previous domestic violence restraining orders filed against them to possess firearms. And on June 27th, the Supreme Court dismissed a case that would have prevented abortion in the case of medical emergency in Idaho. Access remains protected—for now. Many of the recent Supreme Court cases are rooted in originalism, or the application of U.S. “history” and “tradition” to undermine rights, which has been a trusted roadmap for anti-rights actors in the courts.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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. Medicaid is the largest public payer of family planning, covering 75% of all family planning expenditures. It covers almost half of U.S. births, including prenatal, labor, delivery, and postpartum. Medicaid also covers prescription drugs, sterilization, breast cancer services, and some gender -affirming care services. Medicaid does not cover abortion due to the Hyde amendment. Medicaid expansion allows someone who is not pregnant or who doesn't have a child or a disability to be able to qualify to the Medicaid program. When the Affordable Care Act passed, Medicaid expansion would have gone into effect nationwide, if not for states who sued to prevent expansion. Medicaid expansion is now optional, with only 9 states having chosen to not expand. Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 HealthDr. Keemi Ereme, OB/GYN and abortion provider in Seattle, Washington and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive HealthDr. Miriam McQuade, abortion provider in Albuquerque, New Mexico and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive HealthDr. Jessica Rubino, family medicine physician and abortion care provider in Washington, D.C. and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive HealthSupport the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 Republic and Brazil.Abortion is completely illegal with no exceptions in the Dominican Republic, which has one of the higher maternal mortality rates in the Americas and very high rates of child marriage and gender-based violence. In addition, the Dominican Republic and Haiti have a history of forced sterilization, stemming from a history of conflict between the two countries. In Brazil, abortion is illegal with an exception to save the life of the pregnant person who has been a victim of rape or incest, or in the case of fetal anencephaly. Medical providers also refuse to participate in abortion at very high rates in the country, where crisis pregnancy centers are beginning to pop up and rates of sexual violence are high.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 that resistance is everywhere in the fight for abortion and reproductive justice in the United States.Criminalization, poor and inefficient media coverage of sexual and reproductive health, digital surveillance, religious tyranny, and fear and confusion among medical providers are all barriers in the sexual and reproductive health labyrinth in the U.S. that many have had to navigate. Fighting Mad’s essays explores the ways the SRHR patients, providers, advocates, and leaders have navigated these barriers, offering their reflections and perspectives for a better future. Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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/cutting (FGM/C); child, early, and forced marriage/union (CEFMU); femicide; and virginity testing, which all occur in the U.S. Many of these issues disproportionally impact LGBTQ+ individuals. With culturally competent legislation, survivor-entered resources, and comprehensive sex education, urgent action can be taken to address these harmful gender-based practices.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 abortion funds, practical support funds, and their work and needs in the years after Dobbs. Targeted regulation of abortion provider (TRAP) laws are increasing after Dobbs. These laws often impact a clinic’s ability to keep staff or stay open, and many staff have lost their employment or seen their clinics close. Closures force patients to have to look and travel even farther for care-- sometimes outside state lines. Telehealth needs have been amplified, with many depending on telehealth care for self-managing their abortion, while some states continue to see their maternal health care desert grow due to a loss of practicing OB/GYNs. With waning financial support, it’s increasingly difficult for abortion funds and practical support funds to continue to provide people access and assistance.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

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 supplies medicine, dignity kits, gender-based violence services, and specialized healthcare to hospitals and individual patients. Currently, in Gaza, health infrastructure has been ruined and many people have nowhere to turn to for care. Only 3 maternity hospitals are functioning across Gaza, and they are overcrowded with people needing assistance. Stress, hunger, and fear are impacting mothers and children. Yet, UNFPA cannot deliver aid while Gaza continues to face bombardment and closed border crossings, and medicines and supplies have been destroyed by fire and explosions. Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Social media and limited national standards around sex education means sexual and reproductive health misinformation and disinformation can run rampant. Especially when it comes to birth control, the wrong information can lead to knowledge gaps and limit access to contraceptive care. Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and practicing physician, sits down to talk with us about mis- and disinformation around birth control. Recent research from Power to Decide found that, while 38% of young people received information on contraception from social media, many of the same people wanted to receive that information from a health provider. Additional research found that 28% of young people who haven't received birth control information in the last year did not believe that birth control was safe. Examples of mis- and disinformation often include links between oral contraception and cancer, contraception and fertility, and the conflation of contraception and abortion (for example, many politicians compare emergency contraception and IUDs to abortifacients). Correcting mis- and disinformation surrounding contraception will open more doors for those requiring care and increase patient knowledge and confidence.  Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Trigger warning: In this episode we talk about sexual assault and descriptions of unsafe abortions. Please engage with challenging content with caution. 45% of the 73 million abortions a year are unsafe. One of the reasons they are unsafe is due to U.S. policies that place restrictions on how family planning-related foreign assistance is used. Jodi Enda, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent for The Fuller Project, sits down to talk with us about the  multiple tools used by the U.S.-- including the Helms amendment and the Global Gag Rule-- and how far their harmful reach truly extends.  These unsafe abortions result in approximately 39,000 preventable maternal deaths and millions of complications each year. The U.S. is the biggest healthcare funder in the world, as well as the biggest funder of family planning assistance. Still, The Helms amendment and the Global Gag Rule both impact U.S. funding and U.S. global health assistance as it relates to abortion care, albeit in different ways. These foreign policies disproportionately impact access to abortion care for those who have experienced sexual violence, those who are in conflict and humanitarian settings, and those of low-incomes.Support the Show.Follow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!