Red Cloaks Radio

Francie Hunt, Exec. Director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, covers important ground in our conversation, beginning with 100 years of history of Planned Parenthood in Tennessee. What is access like in different parts of the state? How did Planned Parenthood grow to become a trusted provider of patient care in Appalachia? What is the status of fake clinics in Tennessee? What is happening in a state where the majority of residents believe there should be a right to access abortion, but an anti-choice fundamentalist Christian majority in the state legislature has used their power to restrict fair voting? Is Tennessee's legislature becoming a theocracy? Learn how to help support residents in Tennessee (and neighboring states).

Learn more: https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/tennessee-advocates-planned-parenthood

Francie Hunt joins us from Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood to discuss power, rebuilding and growing stronger while support access to reproductive healthcare. As Executive Director, Francie is working - again - to support patients and staff while also rebuilding a clinic that was severely damaged by an arsonist. Listen in to learn about Tennessee's Governor and legislature, and the relationship between efforts to control pregnant people's bodies, voter disenfranchisement, racism and poverty. To learn more, or contribute, visit: www.tnadvocatesforpp.org

Our special guest, Anne, returns to continue the conversation about abortion access before and after Roe vs. Wade. How did volunteers help each other identify care providers? What kinds of risks did people face? Why was it so difficult to discuss contraceptives? Did female college students really get locked into their dormitories at night? Who bore the responsibility for an unplanned pregnancy? Did people shame male and female college equally for being sexually active? We all have questions, and Anne helps share answers. Listeners are encouraged to look up the Women's Health Protection Act and consider contacting their United States Senators to urge them to pass WHPA and protect abortion access for everyone. The WHPA passed the House in September 24, 2021, but Senators have still not taken action.

Anne takes us back to the 1960s when women faced multiple social and legal barriers to their reproductive freedom and health. Abortion was illegal, teen girls and women who weren't married and admitted they were sexually active were shamed. College women were literally locked in their dorms at night. Contraception was difficult to access and people sought access to illegal abortions by looking for names on bathroom stall walls. Is this our past? Or is this our future?

Has Jex Blackmore done for medication abortion what Katie Couric did for colonoscopies when, in 2000, Couric underwent a colonoscopy on air to raise awareness and share accurate information about a procedure that some people feared? Listen in to our conversation with @jexblockmore two days after her appearance on Fox news where she surprised the host by taking medication abortion on air. If you can't find the clip by searching for Michigan's Fox affiliate (are they trying to pretend it didn't happen?), look for it on social media @jexblackmore

Our conversation with Marcia continues in the second episode of our series My Body My Story. Many women have more than one abortion, and each experience is different. Together we explore what it was like to access abortion in different states and circumstances during the pre-Roe v. Wade era. In what ways has America changed in these recent decades? In what ways were women dependent on men when seeking abortion care, and how did women act to expand access for other women? What was a woman's collective? Did a generation of women drop the ball or move it forward? For those carrying the ball today, how have pre-ROE experiences informed their advocacy?

Part 1 in our new series "My Body My Story" begins in Jan. 2022 as we explore the strength it takes to do what you need to do to take care of yourself. Listen in as Marcia shares the experience of accessing an illegal abortion in the Summer of 1964, when abortion was illegal. In Part 1, we take on some key questions: What does the term "back alley abortion" include? How did someone find a provider? Where could a person go? What did it cost? Where did procedures take place? What roles did men play?

Marcia demanded that her life would go forward in a different way, and has been a political activist her entire life. The personal and political intertwine in this conversation, and we invite listeners to Part 2 where the conversation continues.

Our conversation with Rebecca Hart Holder, Exec. Director of Reproductive Equity Now continues with an exploration of the way love and anger can motivate advocacy work. Perfect season to consider this as we reach the first anniversary of a pivotal time in MA reproductive equity history. It was just about one year ago when Governor Baker vetoed the ROE Act - TWICE! Persistence paid off, and the legislature overrode Baker to advance reproductive equity in MA. Flash forward to today, when attacks on equity in multiple states, including Texas and Mississippi is infuriating. Let's discuss the role that love and anger play in our work. Visit website for more info: https://reproequitynow.org/

Focus in on some positive and clear advocacy. Listen in as we learn about the launch of Reproductive Equity Now in Massachusetts. With no time for despair, Executive Director Rebecca Hart Holder shares the urgency of taking action on the interconnected issues that will help us thrive. Learn about successful advocacy strategies that helped make gains in Massachusetts in recent years, including the ROE Act, and consider what's next with an eye out for regional advances in reproductive equity!

Learn more: https://reproequitynow.org/

Our conversation with Vivian Birchall continues as we learn how she was successful in building coalitions in Uganda that helped improve transportation and governance, and why she is motivated to take action in advancing equity in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an elected representative. What does Vivian see as the common threads across continents in terms of identifying gaps in services, organizing and storytelling? And what drives Vivian to advance women's rights? Listen in! Learn more about Vivian: https://vivianbirchall.com/