Republican officials are trying to enforce their abortion bans across state lines. Democratic governors and attorneys general are using shield laws to fight back, and protect providers and their patients. This is why the governors and attorneys general we elect matter more than ever. 

Here’s how a shield law looks in practice.

In December 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York provider for prescribing telemedicine abortion care to a patient in Texas. After a Texas court ordered the provider to pay more than $113,000, Paxton tried to get New York to enforce the judgment.

New York refused. An Ulster County clerk blocked the filing under the state's shield law, and Attorney General Letitia James stepped in to defend the law and the provider.

Then, Louisiana officials indicted the same doctor and sought to have her extradited. Again, New York refused. This time, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stepped in and refused to turn over the provider.

In this episode of My Body. My Pod, human rights lawyer and Reproductive Futures founder and CEO Julie F. Kay joins Mini Timmaraju to discuss the shield laws at the center of this fight, the growing attacks on telemedicine abortion, and the importance of the midterm elections.

Mini and Julie Dig into:

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When Ashley and Marcus Brandt learned they were expecting twins, they imagined their family finally feeling complete. Just weeks later, everything changed.

During a routine ultrasound, one of the twins was diagnosed with a fatal condition. Because of Texas' abortion ban, their doctors couldn't provide the medical care they needed. The family traveled to Colorado for a procedure that protected Ashley from life-threatening complications and saved their surviving twin.

In this special collaboration with Abortion in America, Mini Timmaraju sits down with Ashley and Marcus to hear their story. Together, they discuss how abortion bans delay critical medical care, and undermine the ability of patients and doctors to make the best decisions together.

“I felt like a reproductive refugee,” says Ashley. “My daughter has less rights now than her grandmother did. It’s unacceptable."

They discuss:

This episode is a powerful reminder that abortion is health care—and that politicians should never stand between families and the medical care they need.

Episode recorded on March 8, 2026

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"If you want to get something done in Congress, people say you go to Diana DeGette."

In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with Rep. Diana DeGette, co-chair of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus and one of the most effective reproductive freedom champions in Congress, to discuss the plan to restore abortion rights nationwide.

From passing Colorado's landmark clinic protection law as a young state legislator to helping secure House passage of the Women's Health Protection Act after Dobbs, DeGette has spent decades building the relationships, experience, and political power needed to move legislation forward.

Now, she's looking ahead.

DeGette shares what Democrats hope to accomplish when they regain control of Congress, including restoring abortion rights nationwide, repealing Hyde restrictions, protecting access to reproductive health care, and pushing back against attacks on birth control and bodily autonomy.

Along the way, she reflects on the evolution of the Democratic Party on abortion rights, why reproductive freedom is inseparable from economic security, and what gives her hope in this moment.

Their conversation focuses on a central truth: progress depends not just on ideas, but on the ability to turn them into law. As DeGette puts it: "If you don't have the votes, you don't pass the bill."

In this episode:

• The plan to restore abortion rights nationwide

Despite the onslaught of attacks on our fundamental freedoms, DeGette remains optimistic, pointing to the power of people already taking action—protesting, voting, and holding elected officials accountable: "Abortion is our health care right. We will get to where we need to be."

Episode recorded on June 10, 2026.

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Four years after the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Rep. Ayanna Pressley joins Mini Timmaraju to reflect on power, policy, and why the fight for reproductive freedom demands both urgency and hope.

In this special episode we’re joined by reproductive freedom champion Rep. Pressley, co-chair of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus to reflect on where the movement stands four years into a post-Roe America—and what comes next.

Together, they discuss the long-running anti-abortion campaign that led to Dobbs, the ongoing attacks on abortion access, contraception, IVF, and maternal health care, and why reproductive freedom remains deeply connected to democracy, economic security, and gender equality.

Rep. Pressley also shares the moment she learned Roe had fallen, why "the people closest to the pain should be the closest to the power," and how organizers can continue building momentum in the face of relentless attacks on our freedoms.

At a time when it’s easy to feel defeated or helpless, Pressley offers a different path forward: choosing hope over cynicism, organizing over despair, and refusing to give up on a more just future.

“Because who wins determines the policies—and the policies determine who lives, who dies, who survives, and who thrives.”

But this conversation isn't just about reflection—it's about action.

At the end of the episode, Mini announces Reproductive Freedom for All's largest-ever electoral program, My Body. My Ballot., a nationwide effort to harness the power of the organization's 4.5 million members and the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.

Four years after Dobbs, anti-abortion extremists have made clear they were never going to leave abortion "to the states." They continue targeting medication abortion, IVF, and contraception while advancing an agenda designed to move the country closer to a national abortion ban.

Election after election, voters have rejected that agenda. The challenge now isn't convincing Americans that reproductive freedom matters. It's turning overwhelming public support into political power.

Through My Body. My Ballot., Reproductive Freedom for All will hold anti-abortion politicians accountable at the ballot box and elect reproductive freedom champions in key races across the country—transforming public support into organizing power, political action, and electoral victories.

Episode recorded on June 10, 2026.

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We've got something really special for you this week. For the first time ever, we're bringing you a live recording of My Body. My Pod. from Reproductive Freedom for All's 2026 Activist Summit at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC, where hundreds of activists from across the country gathered to build community, sharpen their organizing skills, and prepare for the fights ahead.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple question: what happens when a generation of young women grows up with fewer rights than their mothers—and in some cases, fewer rights than their grandmothers?

Four years after Dobbs, the consequences of abortion bans are no longer theoretical. Women have been denied emergency medical care. Families have endured preventable tragedy. Providers and patients face escalating threats and harassment. And women have died.

Yet anti-abortion extremists continue pushing forward—attacking abortion access, threatening IVF, targeting providers, and laying the groundwork for even more restrictions on reproductive freedom.

In this special episode, Mini sits down with Congressman Jamie Raskin, journalist Katie Phang, and National Abortion Federation President & CEO Brittany Fonteno for a candid conversation about what's at stake, why abortion remains one of the most salient issues in American politics, and what it will take to turn public support into political power.

Together, they explore the connection between reproductive freedom and democracy, the power of storytelling, the importance of organizing, and the role activists can play in shaping the 2026 midterm elections.

Because here's the reality: 8 in 10 Americans support legal abortion. That's more popular than either political party. More popular than any candidate on the ballot.

The question isn't whether Americans support reproductive freedom. The question is whether we can organize that majority into a force powerful enough to create lasting change.

Recorded live before a studio audience of activists, organizers, storytellers, and movement leaders, this episode is a celebration of people power—and a reminder that elections matter because they shape the policies that govern our lives. And when it comes to reproductive freedom, those policies can mean the difference between care and denial, freedom and control, life and death.

We are 4.5 million members strong. And we're ready to fight like hell for a future where every person can make their own decisions about their body, their family, and their future.

Episode recorded on June 1, 2026.

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In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with Skye Perryman—President and CEO of Democracy Forward and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025—to discuss the legal fights shaping reproductive freedom, voting rights, and democracy itself.

From defending access to mifepristone against legally baseless fringe theories peddled by anti-abortion extremists, to challenging attacks on voting rights and government accountability, Skye has become one of the leading voices pushing back against efforts to roll back fundamental freedoms.

Mini and Skye discuss:

Skye reminds us: lasting change has always come from people demanding it.

“No institution ever handed down a decision that protected our rights. People pushed those institutions, and the people are responsible for those wins. And we're going to have to find that again and win again.”

Episode recorded on May 18, 2026.

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In collaboration with Abortion in America, our latest episode of My Body. My Pod. with Mini Timmaraju features Avery Davis Bell, a Georgia mother and genetics researcher who was forced to wait for emergency abortion care until complications were life-threatening.

Avery was 18 weeks pregnant when her water broke—a medical emergency that made her pregnancy nonviable and placed her at risk for severe blood loss and sepsis. Even though her doctors knew she needed a D&E (Dilation and Evacuation) procedure, Georgia’s abortion ban created delays while providers determined whether her condition was “serious enough” to legally qualify her for care.

Avery had every advantage: early prenatal care, expert medical knowledge, access to a major hospital system, and a strong support network. 

Her story raises an urgent question: if someone with those resources struggle to receive timely emergency care, what happens to patients facing greater barriers to access?

“It’s like insult to injury in the worst possible way,” Avery says. 

Mini and Avery discuss:

Episode recorded on March 8, 2026

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Abortion clinics have long been targets of coordinated blockades, harassment, and violence. 

This reality has never stopped Rene Chelian, an abortion provider and advocate who has spent decades caring for patients and fighting for access. In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with Renee, Founder and CEO of Northland Family Planning Centers, to talk about what it takes to deliver care, protect patients and staff, and defend abortion access in the face of escalating threats. 

With nearly 50 years on the front lines, Renee has lived through the full scope of anti-abortion extremism and helped advocate for the federal protections of patients seeking abortion care—the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. 

This episode is about resilience and the ongoing fight to protect abortion rights for everybody. Renee continues that work through Reclaim, an initiative focused on restoring dignity, confidence, and public support for abortion and reproductive rights through advocacy and education.

Protecting abortion access requires all of us—providers, advocates, and communities—willing to stay in the fight. 

Episode recorded on April 8, 2026. 

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What does it take to fight back—and win?

In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with New York Attorney General Leticia James to break down the critical role of attorneys general in protecting reproductive freedom in this moment.

From defending abortion providers under attack, to taking on the Trump administration’s overreach, AG James is at the center of the legal fight to protect our rights—and she’s winning. Democratic attorneys general like her are taking on Trump’s unconstitutional executive orders—and they have an 80% win rate.

Mini and AG James get into:

Mini and AG James make one thing clear: the old rules don’t apply anymore.

Even in a moment that can feel overwhelming, there are leaders fighting back—and winning. But protecting our freedom will take all of us: organizing, voting, and paying attention to the races that decide whether our rights are protected, or stripped away.

Episode recorded in New Orleans on April 10, 2026.

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Anti-abortion extremists are going after every single person involved in accessing abortion care—from patients to their doctors. 

Abortion bans make it impossible for doctors to take care of their patients with the dignity and autonomy we deserve. When you deny people access to abortion care, women and pregnant people die. 

In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with OB-GYN and President of Physicians for Reproductive Health Dr. Jamila Perritt to discuss how abortion bans and restrictions harm patients and providers, and what’s really at stake when elected officials try to interfere with medical decisions. 

Episode recorded in DC on March 25, 2026. 

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