What happens when constituents vote to approve abortion rights, yet their elected officials are “pro-life” or anti-abortion themselves? 

This episode dives into how Republicans go against the majority of their voters on abortion rights. Voter-approved ballot initiatives represent the direct expression of the people's preferences. When politicians seek to overturn or weaken these measures, it can be seen as a direct challenge to the democratic process.

This episode concludes the remaining plaintiffs in Zurawski v. State of Texas. Being forced to carry a pregnancy to term when the fetus has a condition deemed a fetal anomaly, mainly if that condition is fatal or severely debilitating, presents a deeply distressing and ethically complex situation for women. 

Women face the agonizing reality of knowing their baby will likely not survive or will have a very short and difficult life while still experiencing the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy. This anticipatory grief can be overwhelming and isolating.

These are the stories of the brave women who joined together against the State of Texas and its abortion bans. 

If you or someone you know has a story they would like to share, please reach out to our email: [email protected]

Many people do not understand that the risk of maternal mortality is not just about the dangers of childbirth itself but the continuing effects of pregnancy and delivery, which may not show up until months later like high blood pressure, heart conditions, infections, or hemorrhage. The maternal mortality rate in the United States has been higher than in any other major industrialized country for more than two decades.

The case of Zurawski v. State of Texas was aimed to clarify the scope of these medical exceptions and to allow doctors to use their professional judgment in determining when an abortion is medically necessary.  Their experiences highlight the real-world consequences of the state's abortion bans and the fear among doctors of facing legal repercussions.

This episode highlights the original plaintiffs who joined Amanda Zurawski in her lawsuit against the state of Texas. 

The first lawsuit we will focus on is Zurawski v. State of Texas.

This is a significant legal case that addresses the complexities of medical exceptions within Texas's restrictive abortion laws. This lawsuit includes 20 women and 2 doctors. We will highlight each plaintiff and the impact of Texas’s abortion bans in the next few weeks. 

The lead plaintiff in this case is a woman named Amanda Zurawski, from Austin, Texas.  When Amanda was 18 weeks pregnant, she experienced pre-term labor rupture of membranes. She was denied abortion care due to doctors still detecting fetal cardiac activity. Three days after being denied abortion care, Amanda started showing signs of infection and was diagnosed with sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition. 

The interplay between abortion bans and the lawsuits challenging them is shaping the future of reproductive rights in the U.S., with profound implications for individuals, healthcare, and society as a whole.

This episode focuses on some lawsuits filed and ruled upon since the Dobbs decision in 2022. 

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The new landscape of abortion in the United States is evolving and changing every day. Since the overturn of Roe in 2022, we have seen a large number of telehealth clinics expand. Telehealth abortion has become a safe and effective way to obtain medication in the privacy of your own home, even in states with abortion bans.

However, within the past several weeks, a New York doctor was indicted by a Louisiana jury for prescribing and mailing abortion pills to a patient who lives in the abortion banned state. 

State laws and restrictions pose significant challenges to the availability of telehealth abortion but we are continuing to see virtual clinics emerging as key providers in the United States abortion landscape face dire restrictions on abortion access.

If you or someone you know is needing information about telehealth abortion, you can find clinics near you at this site: www.AbortionFinder.org

It is important to examine this growing evidence to form a deeper understanding of how the volatile, chaotic legal landscape that has erupted in the wake of Dobbs has affected abortion access in the United States.

We need to recognize that the full impact of the Dobbs decision is still unfolding and will continue to be studied and debated for years to come. The effects are complex, far-reaching, and deeply personal for many individuals.

The history of abortion is complex and spans millennia, varying significantly across cultures and time-periods. This episode takes a closer look at the history of abortion and how abortion rights have been influenced throughout time. 

The history of abortion is nuanced and varies significantly depending on the specific culture, time-period, and social context. Access to safe and legal abortion has been a recurring theme, with restrictions often leading to unsafe practices and negative health consequences for women.

As we experience the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, this first episode will discuss why women choose to have abortions, the demographics of women who have abortions, misconceptions and the stigma surrounding abortions as well as how the abortion bans are causing some women to wait for treatment in life-threatening situations.