rePROs Fight Back

The majority of people in the U.S. support abortion, yet access has been decimated around the country. That kind of disparity deserves evidence-based, practiced commentary, and we can think of no better doctors to share their experiences than Dr. Beverly Gray and Dr. Jonas Swartz, OBGYNs and co-hosts of the podcast Outlawed. They sit down to talk with us about being on the frontlines of abortion care in the U.S. at the moment and how their experience contributed to the desire to pursue their podcast. 

Both Dr. Gray and Dr. Swartz dispel myths on mic and in person, including that childbirth is safer than abortion (abortion is less risky than carrying a pregnancy to term), that fertility is impacted by abortion (it isn’t), that abortions can be reversed (they can’t), or that abortion can occur after birth (they can’t). These myths can influence policy. In addition, Drs. Gray and Swartz interview incredible patients, providers, and advocates about their journeys in sexual and reproductive health. If you are interested in hearing information and stories from OBGYNs themselves, find Outlawed here.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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After personal experience with severe pregnancy complications and requiring a later abortion among a labyrinth of state abortion bans, Erika Christensen and Garin Marschall co-founded Patient Forward, a national strategy and advocacy organization. Erika and Garin sit down with us to talk about why people need abortions later in pregnancy, what barriers exist to accessing that care, and why government interference in pregnancy outcomes is overwhelmingly unpopular.  

Further into pregnancy, the cost of care goes up, the number of providers goes down, and more and more restrictions go into effect. People require abortions later in pregnancy for a host of reasons, but often they are needed after 1) they learn that they are pregnant later in gestation or learn new information about the pregnancy, or; 2) they know care is needed earlier in pregnancy but are delayed by TRAP laws, abortion bans, economic reasons, and more. Many experience a combination of these factors which impact their access. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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There’s a grab bag of sexual and reproductive health news from around the U.S. From the wins to celebrate to the updates to keep an eye on, Garnet Henderson, investigative reporter specializing in sexual and reproductive health and disinformation, sits down to talk with us about a host of SRHR issues that are moving through the political and judicial landscape.  

Issues discussed include: Nevada’s parental notification law, blocked since 1985 and made permanent in 1991, was overturned recently by a judge and will go into effect on April 30th; the Trump administration has been citing “DEI” as a reason Planned Parenthood and other affiliate’s Title X funding is being “reviewed” and threatened; the Supreme Court recently heard the arguments for Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic at the beginning of the month; and Wisconsin voters elected a Democratically-backed candidate to serve on the state’s Supreme Court, despite Elon Musk’s fundraising and $100 million dollars invested in the opposing candidate.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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Within hours of the new administration’s return-to-office, disorder took over. A foreign aid freeze, a stop-work order, and the dismantling of key foreign aid institutions commenced almost immediately. Gayatri Patel, Senior Fellow with rePROs Fight Back, sits down to talk with us about glimmers of hope for protecting this foreign assistance funding and relevant agencies, as well as how we can prepare for the realistic, long-term impacts of these attacks.  

The assault on foreign assistance funding by the new administration—which includes the blocking of U.S. foreign assistance funding, including for development programs, humanitarian programs, and multilateral assistance—has led to the loss of food services, antiviral medications, and vaccines, among other things. This has resulted in severe harm and death. In addition, the dismantling of institutions, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the loss of funding and support for multiple UN agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will result in continued, long-term impacts on both U.S. and international programming. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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April 11th- 17th officially marks Black Maternal Health Week—a week-long campaign centered on activism, awareness, and community-building for Black mamas and Black birthing people. Elizabeth Dawes, Director of Maternal and Reproductive Health and Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation and Co-Founder of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, sits down to talk with us about the status of the Black maternal health crisis in the U.S. and the myriad, ongoing attacks to the Black community’s health, rights, and wellbeing from the new administration. 

The U.S. maternal mortality crisis has seen an overall reduction in maternal death rates in every racial group except for Black birthing people-- due to racism and inequity at institutional, systemic, and interpersonal levels. This is despite continuous, targeted, and hard-fought advocacy since 2014. Solidifying key actors, distributing resources and funding, and amplifying direct, local care and Black-led initiatives can make a sizeable change and help tackle the persistent, systemic oppressions and health injustices disproportionately felt by Black individuals. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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A new case with tremendous possible consequences for U.S. sexual and reproductive health and rights has made its way onto the Supreme Court docket. Medina v. Planned Parenthood of South Atlantic is a culmination of decades of anti-choice activist’s attacks to Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health care providers, specifically targeting efforts to kick these providers out of Medicaid. Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor of Rewire News Group and co-host of Boom! Lawyered, sits down to talk with us about the implications of this case for the country’s most vulnerable. 

The question in front of the Supreme Court is whether the Medicaid statute confers a right to its recipients to go to providers of their choosing. Not only does this open doors to re-defining “qualified” and “unqualified” reproductive health care providers, it allows an opportunity for legal conservatives on the court to meander around Congressional conferring of rights via statute. Oftentimes, Planned Parenthood affiliates are the only option for low-income, Medicaid patients. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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This week, we’re bringing you a special feed drop from Rom Com Vom, a miniseries from Sex Ed with DB that unpacks beloved rom-coms, strips away their hidden toxic messages, and rewrites the script on love and sex.

In this clip, host Danielle Bezalel sits down with Dr. Gretchen Sisson, a sociologist and expert on adoption and abortion, to break down Juno’s portrayal of teen pregnancy, adoption, and reproductive rights. They discuss what the film gets right, what it glosses over, and why its cultural impact still lingers today. If you enjoy this conversation, check out the full episode—plus more deep dives into rom-com tropes—by finding Sex Ed with DB wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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rePROs Fight Back released its 13th annual 50-State Report Card on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. The United States, overall, received an ‘F’ grade, while 5 states received an ‘A’ and 25 states failed. Jennie Wetter, Director of the rePROs Fight Back initiative and host of the rePROs Fight Back podcast, sits down to discuss this staggering loss of rights and the continuous fight for our right to bodily autonomy with Tarah Demant, Interim National Director of Programs, Advocacy, and Government Affairs at Amnesty International USA. 

While 2024 had some bright spots, including abortion-related ballot measures passing in 7 of the 10 states where they were on the ballot, we are still experiencing the fallout of the 2022 Dobbs decision. The human rights crisis unleashed by that decision has led states to continue restricting abortion access and has emboldened anti-rights advocates to increase their attacks on gender-affirming care. Using 11 criteria, the 50-State Report Card ranks each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on three broad indicators relating to reproductive health and rights: prevention, affordability, and access to services.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) is a landmark federal law that revolutionized the right to emergency healthcare and provides crucial protections for pregnant people. Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Deputy Director at the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, sits down to talk with us about the status of the case and what we can continue to do to protect emergency abortion services.

When EMTALA was originally passed by Congress in 1986, the law directed every hospital in the country with an emergency department to provide whatever healthcare was necessary to any individual who visited the hospital presenting with an emergency medical condition. This is especially important for pregnant people, who require intensive attention in and outside of emergency situations. For the nearly 40 years EMTALA has been in effect, it was understood across party lines that if someone needs emergency abortion care, EMTALA protects that access. But following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Idaho’s extreme abortion ban did not feature an exception for those in emergencies. The Department of Justice sued Idaho to ensure EMTALA’s nationwide reach and the case advanced to the Supreme Court. The lawsuit against Idaho has now been dismissed under the new administration. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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Medicaid, the United States’ largest public health insurance program, currently insures over 72 million people with low incomes. Medicaid covers a host of health needs, including those related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) and co-chair of the National Coalition for Gender Justice in Health Policy, sits down to talk with us about how Medicaid is indispensable for SRH coverage and how recent proposed cuts would impact those who are enrolled.

Medicaid plays an essential role in securing SRH for those with low incomes and other underserved communities, including Black, indigenous, and other people of color, people with disabilities, women and LGBTQI+ people, young people, and people with limited English proficiency. States are required to cover family planning services and supplies, pregnancy-related care, and abortion within the Hyde Amendment’s exceptions. The House recently passed a budget resolution that requires at least a minimum of $880 billion in budgetary cuts from the Energy and Commerce Committee—who’s vast majority of financial jurisdiction is centered in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Assuredly, proposed cuts would cause states to limit eligibility for Medicaid insurance and impact million’s access to SRH care. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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