Medicaid, the largest public health insurance program for people in the United States, exists on a state-by-state basis. But how could Medicaid possibly relate to sexual and reproductive health? Fabiola De Liban, Director, Sexual and Reproductive Health, with the National Health Law Program, sits down to talk with us about what is covered under the program, what’s not covered, Medicaid’s disturbing history related to family planning, and the barriers that patients face on a day-to-day basis. 

Medicaid is the largest public payer of family planning, covering 75% of all family planning expenditures. It covers almost half of U.S. births, including prenatal, labor, delivery, and postpartum. Medicaid also covers prescription drugs, sterilization, breast cancer services, and some gender -affirming care services. Medicaid does not cover abortion due to the Hyde amendment. Medicaid expansion allows someone who is not pregnant or who doesn't have a child or a disability to be able to qualify to the Medicaid program. When the Affordable Care Act passed, Medicaid expansion would have gone into effect nationwide, if not for states who sued to prevent expansion. Medicaid expansion is now optional, with only 9 states having chosen to not expand. 

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion providers across the United States are sharing their reflections on the current state of abortion access, how to take action, and their visions for the future. 

Guests include:

Dr. Rachel Chisausky, family medicine physician in the Northwest and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health

Dr. Keemi Ereme, OB/GYN and abortion provider in Seattle, Washington and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health

Dr. Miriam McQuade, abortion provider in Albuquerque, New Mexico and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health

Dr. Jessica Rubino, family medicine physician and abortion care provider in Washington, D.C. and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Abortion is impossible to access in the Dominican Republic and extremely inaccessible in Brazil. Misinformation, gender-based violence, and influences from the harmful U.S. anti-abortion movement are contributing to rates of higher need in countries where abortion access is remarkably difficult. Garnet Henderson, Senior Reporter at Rewire News Group and host and producer of ACCESS: A Podcast About Abortion, sits down to talk with us about the current status of abortion in the Dominican Republic and Brazil.

Abortion is completely illegal with no exceptions in the Dominican Republic, which has one of the higher maternal mortality rates in the Americas and very high rates of child marriage and gender-based violence. In addition, the Dominican Republic and Haiti have a history of forced sterilization, stemming from a history of conflict between the two countries. In Brazil, abortion is illegal with an exception to save the life of the pregnant person who has been a victim of rape or incest, or in the case of fetal anencephaly. Medical providers also refuse to participate in abortion at very high rates in the country, where crisis pregnancy centers are beginning to pop up and rates of sexual violence are high.

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Mourning, anger, and grief were top-line emotions after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Still, a recently released collection of essays and stories highlights the very real and inspiring on-the-ground work and experiences of reproductive justice leaders, health care professionals, patients, artists, legislators, and more in the wake of Roe’s overturning. Krystale Littlejohn and Rickie Solinger, editors of Fighting Mad: Resisting the End of Roe v. Wade, sits down to remind us about the fact that resistance is everywhere in the fight for abortion and reproductive justice in the United States.

Criminalization, poor and inefficient media coverage of sexual and reproductive health, digital surveillance, religious tyranny, and fear and confusion among medical providers are all barriers in the sexual and reproductive health labyrinth in the U.S. that many have had to navigate. Fighting Mad’s essays explores the ways the SRHR patients, providers, advocates, and leaders have navigated these barriers, offering their reflections and perspectives for a better future. 

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Despite often being dismissed as foreign or cultural problems, harmful gender-based practices exist in every community across the United States, affecting countless individuals. Maniza Habib, Research Associate at Population Institute and Amani Nelson, Research Fellow at Population Institute, sit down to talk with us about how to achieve legislative progress and a culturally informed approach to addressing these harms. 

Behind Closed Doors confronts the reality of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C); child, early, and forced marriage/union (CEFMU); femicide; and virginity testing, which all occur in the U.S. Many of these issues disproportionally impact LGBTQ+ individuals. With culturally competent legislation, survivor-entered resources, and comprehensive sex education, urgent action can be taken to address these harmful gender-based practices.

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion funds have been working overtime to support skyrocketing amounts of patients in need. And while there was a large influx in donations to abortion funds after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case, those donations have waned in recent years. Lindsey Mullen, Co-Executive Director of the Alabama Cohosh Collaborative and Natalie Price, board member of the Fountain Street Choice Fund, sits down to talk with us about abortion funds, practical support funds, and their work and needs in the years after Dobbs. 

Targeted regulation of abortion provider (TRAP) laws are increasing after Dobbs. These laws often impact a clinic’s ability to keep staff or stay open, and many staff have lost their employment or seen their clinics close. Closures force patients to have to look and travel even farther for care-- sometimes outside state lines. Telehealth needs have been amplified, with many depending on telehealth care for self-managing their abortion, while some states continue to see their maternal health care desert grow due to a loss of practicing OB/GYNs. With waning financial support, it’s increasingly difficult for abortion funds and practical support funds to continue to provide people access and assistance.

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Sexual and reproductive health doesn’t disappear in humanitarian settings. People don’t stop needing obstetric care, getting pregnant, needing birth control, needing safe abortion care, or needing gender-based violence support in emergency situations. In fact, 65% of all maternal deaths, 50% of all newborn deaths, and 51% of all stillbirths occur in humanitarian settings. Judith Starkulla, Head of Office for UNFPA in Gaza, shares her thoughts on the SRHR needs of those in the region.

UNFPA supplies medicine, dignity kits, gender-based violence services, and specialized healthcare to hospitals and individual patients. Currently, in Gaza, health infrastructure has been ruined and many people have nowhere to turn to for care. Only 3 maternity hospitals are functioning across Gaza, and they are overcrowded with people needing assistance. Stress, hunger, and fear are impacting mothers and children. Yet, UNFPA cannot deliver aid while Gaza continues to face bombardment and closed border crossings, and medicines and supplies have been destroyed by fire and explosions. 

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Social media and limited national standards around sex education means sexual and reproductive health misinformation and disinformation can run rampant. Especially when it comes to birth control, the wrong information can lead to knowledge gaps and limit access to contraceptive care. Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and practicing physician, sits down to talk with us about mis- and disinformation around birth control. 

Recent research from Power to Decide found that, while 38% of young people received information on contraception from social media, many of the same people wanted to receive that information from a health provider. Additional research found that 28% of young people who haven't received birth control information in the last year did not believe that birth control was safe. Examples of mis- and disinformation often include links between oral contraception and cancer, contraception and fertility, and the conflation of contraception and abortion (for example, many politicians compare emergency contraception and IUDs to abortifacients). Correcting mis- and disinformation surrounding contraception will open more doors for those requiring care and increase patient knowledge and confidence.  

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Trigger warning: In this episode we talk about sexual assault and descriptions of unsafe abortions. Please engage with challenging content with caution. 

45% of the 73 million abortions a year are unsafe. One of the reasons they are unsafe is due to U.S. policies that place restrictions on how family planning-related foreign assistance is used. Jodi Enda, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent for The Fuller Project, sits down to talk with us about the  multiple tools used by the U.S.-- including the Helms amendment and the Global Gag Rule-- and how far their harmful reach truly extends.  

These unsafe abortions result in approximately 39,000 preventable maternal deaths and millions of complications each year. The U.S. is the biggest healthcare funder in the world, as well as the biggest funder of family planning assistance. Still, The Helms amendment and the Global Gag Rule both impact U.S. funding and U.S. global health assistance as it relates to abortion care, albeit in different ways. These foreign policies disproportionately impact access to abortion care for those who have experienced sexual violence, those who are in conflict and humanitarian settings, and those of low-incomes.

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, is a statute passed by Congress in 1986 to ensure that nobody who is experiencing a medical emergency is turned away from receiving health care. But this week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging EMTALA as it relates to emergency abortion care. Katie O’Connor, Director of Federal Abortion Policy at the National Women’s Law Center sits down to talk with us about the potential impacts of this ruling. 

Under EMTALA, an emergency medical condition is defined “as a condition in which, without immediate medical attention, a patient's health or life is in serious jeopardy.” The statute does not make exceptions for state law, the personal beliefs of providers, or hospitals of religious affiliation. For pregnant people, abortion care can be a very necessary, time-sensitive, and sometimes life-saving health service. State-level abortion bans are already forcing patients to travel hours and long distances to receive care, and providers to leave the hostile states they are practicing in. EMTALA’s ruling may narrow, even more, the already constricted landscape that patients and providers find themselves navigating in the United States—especially for those who are experiencing an emergency.

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

Support the show

Follow Us on Social:
Twitter: @rePROsFightBack
Instagram: @reprosfb
Facebook: rePROs Fight Back
Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social

Email us: [email protected]
Rate and Review on Apple Podcast

Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!