Art and activism intersect! Shannon Downey, full-time art activist, author, and educator, sits down to talk with us about art and activism and her new activism handbook for artists, crafters, and creators, Let’s Move the Needle, providing a how-to manual for using artistic skills to contribute to community building. 

Shannon learned how to cross stitch as a child. As an adult, doing work around gun violence and immigrant rights, Shannon leaned on cross stitch during moments when she felt politically fatigued. When she participated in a weekend art show that fundraised $5,000 dollars for art classes for survivors of gun violence, the intersection and importance between art and activism became very clear. 

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Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Brittany Fonteno, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and the National Abortion Hotline, sits down to talk with us about NAF’s new report, which shows a marked uptick in anti-abortion violence in the years since Roe’s overturning. 

The Roe decision came down in 1973. NAF was formed in 1977 and began tracking violence and disruption against independent abortion providers, Planned Parenthood affiliates, hospitals, and individual providers that very same year. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act was passed on bipartisan lines in 1994 to combat harassment, violence, blockading, and threats in front of abortion clinics. But in his first few weeks in office this term, Trump pardoned nearly two dozen anti-abortion extremists and has set aside a $2 billion fund-- partly to protect those who violate the FACE Act-- from legal consequences. 

There is still in-person harassment outside of clinics, but rates of online harassment, death threats to providers, and harassment rooted in racism and xenophobia have skyrocketed in recent years. 

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Pronatalism is an ideology, cultural orientation, and emerging policy framework promoting higher birthrates by framing reproduction as a social duty or moral good. Oftentimes, pronatalism can emphasize certain gender roles and can be rooted in extreme nationalism and patriarchal ideals. Varina Winder, the former Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State and co-founder of the ARCH Collaborative, sits down to talk with us about the ways in which pronatalist ideology is present in the U.S. and what a true pro-family vision should look like.

Increasingly, pronatalism is being driven by governments. The Trump administration, for example, have been manipulating language to advance pronatalist ideology, including describing American women as “under babied” and referring to the expansion of the Global Gag Rule as the “Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance” Act. Government restrictions and cultural interventions are the tools used for pronatalism, and the language (often rooted in a low-fertility and birthrate “crisis”) global administrations use support these tools. 

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Telling pregnant people what to do and enforcing pregnancy criminalization has been a decades-long threat. Dr. Grace Howard sits down with us to discuss her new book, which “traces the long history of state attempts to regulate and control people who have the capacity for pregnancy--from the early twentieth century's white supremacist eugenics to the end of Roe and the ever-increasing criminalization of abortion across the United States.”

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The ability to control your body and when, how, and if you get pregnant and raise children is a fundamental freedom that should be recognized by the law. Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward, sits down to talk with us about the direct connection between the opportunities and support that women and girls have and the strengths of democracies, and how the U.S. (among other countries) is clearly experiencing a democratic backslide.

The FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act was passed in the early 1990s with bipartisan support. The law was put in place to address a surge in violence and harassment, targeting, and blockading of reproductive health care clinics. The Trump administration has consistently misrepresented and threatened the FACE Act, including going after litigators who prosecuted under FACE Act violations. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has put together a 900-page report intended to discredit prosecutors and civil servants and to create a narrative to justify those facing being fired by the department.

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We repeat: your reason is the right reason.

For this incredibly special part four of our storytellers podcast series, tune in to hear the abortion stories of Candace and Trenece -- abortion storytellers from We Testify. 

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Need a breakdown of the recent ruling on nationwide mifepristone access at the Supreme Court? Imani Gandy, Executive Producer, Legal Content & Culture with Rewire News Group, co-host of podcast Boom! Lawyered and host of podcast B*tch Listen and Jessica Mason Pieklo, Executive Producer, Legal Content & Advocacy with Rewire News Group and co-host of podcast Boom! Lawyered have got you covered. 

In 2024, the state of Louisiana sued the Food and Drug Administration over a rule change from 2023 that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed and dispensed remotely. Previously, the agency had required the pill to be dispensed in-person at a clinic or other health facility. On May 1, 2026, the FDA’s rule was temporarily blocked, restricting mifepristone access nationwide. Emergency petitions were filed with the Supreme Court the next day, and on May 4, the stay was applied to the block until May 11. On May 14th, the Supreme Court continued to allow patients to access mifepristone.

On Mother’s Day, a website for new and expectant mothers called moms.gov dropped, pushing pro-natalist, eugenicist propaganda.

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Your reason is the right reason.

For this incredibly special part three of our storytellers podcast series, tune in to hear the abortion stories of Dr. Brendane A. Tynes and Kiah-- abortion storytellers from We Testify.

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This week, we're bringing you a special feed drop from Disrupting Peace, a podcast from the World Peace Foundation, which explores why peace hasn’t worked, and how it still could. In each episode, Bridget Conley, research director at the World Peace Foundation, speaks with a researcher specializing in one obstacle to peace, and an activist who’s changing systems from the ground up. Together they explore what worked, what didn’t, and why we shouldn’t give up.

This episode focuses on Iceland, the country ranked number one for gender equality for 15 years in a row. The episodes explores what makes Iceland unique, how younger generations are pushing the feminist agenda forward, and why limiting freedom around parental leave has increased equality in this volcanic, Nordic country.

Access the Disrupting Peace podcast here: https://pod.link/1759500826

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Indiana was the first state to sign, pass, and enforce an abortion ban after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, which went into effect in 2023 (Missouri saw immediate enforcement via a trigger ban). Now, almost everyone must leave the state to access an abortion. Forest Beeley, Program Director for All Options, which runs Indiana’s singular abortion fund, sits down to talk with us about Indiana’s current sexual and reproductive health and rights landscape.

Reproductive healthcare and abortion in Indiana face an uphill battle. Title X clinics in the state of Indiana face increased limitations on what information they can provide, but they are there to see patients, nonetheless. The state has a Planned Parenthood affiliate, but two centers in Indianapolis are currently closing due to federal Medicaid cuts. Crisis pregnancy centers, (CPCs) or fake clinics, are extremely common in Indiana and across the U.S. Ultrasounds are performed by non-medical personnel, they are not bound by HIPPA, and abortion is often not offered as an option for care. 

Abortion funds need your support to continue providing on-the-ground services and resources to those seeking an abortion and to steer clear of harmful CPCs. 

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