A woman’s right to choose is under renewed attack in America and the federal protection it has benefited from for so long, however tenuous, is closer than ever to going away. 

It's vitally important we understand the underlying systems behind any singular issue, and ask “Why is this this way?” and “Does it have to be this way?”

It is 14 times more deadly to deliver a baby than to have a legal abortion in America.

We have no universal healthcare, we have no mandatory paid sick leave, we have no mandatory paid parental leave, we have no mandatory paid time off, preschool is unaffordable, childcare is unaffordable, mental health care is unaffordable, diapers are unaffordable.

And so before this — before this decision comes down, before they use this precedent and legal approach to start to ban abortions immediately after conception, before they try to ban contraception altogether, and more — 

— we have some of the highest maternal death rates in the developed world, and if you’re poor or a Black woman or both — they’re 3-4x higher. 

Last year I had Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois on the show to talk about the heartbreaking reason maternal health means so much to her, about her incredible Momnibus Act, about how and why we treat moms the way we do in this country, and what the hell we can all do about it.

I learned so much from Lauren, and we got an overwhelming response from folks inside and outside the system who are fighting for better care every day, and folks who truly didn’t understand the scope of how dangerous it is to have a baby in America.

Lauren is an inspiration and a leader and I couldn’t think of a more appropriate conversation to replay this week in light of what’s happening.

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INI Book Club:

• https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant

Links:

• underwood.house.gov
• Twitter: @RepUnderwood
• Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act

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• Edited by Anthony Luciani
• Produced by Willow Beck
• Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
• Artwork by Amrit Pal