On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case. The ruling overturned nearly 50 years of judicial precedent set by Roe v Wade in 1973 and sent the question of abortion regulations and laws back to individual US states. The impact of this decision and the precedent it sets will have far reaching effects on the current and future state of reproductive rights and abortion policy in the United States. In this episode of Big World our guest is American University professor Tracy Weitz, a sociologist and abortion care, policy, and politics expert.

Professor Weitz discusses the trigger laws prohibiting abortion to different extents that went into effect in some states (2:43) immediately upon the Dobbs ruling. She explains how state legislatures, upcoming ballot initiatives, gubernatorial elections, and state Supreme Court challenges could play a role in determining the future of abortion access in several states (3:26). She talks about whether abortion policies might change from election cycle to election cycle in purple states (6:48) and why she believes that abortion will remain a divisive issue at a national level—even if state laws remain relatively settled (9:21).

How are the Hyde and Helms Amendments connected to reproductive rights policy, and how do they impact women both in the US and around the world (11:47)? What are some of the consequences of restrictive abortion laws, and can policies be made to safeguard women from those unintended consequences (17:27)? Professor Weitz answers these questions and discusses both the real-life impacts that abortion restrictions have on women with other medical conditions (19:20) and the threat to bodily autonomy caused by limiting reproductive rights (26:56). The episode concludes as Professor Weitz shares her observations on the likelihood of either a national right to terminate pregnancy or a national ban on abortion rights being codified by Congress or the Constitution and what challenges would have to be overcome for either of those to occur (27:09).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Weitz shares the five policies she would enact to protect reproductive rights in the United States (15:28).