Patti is joined by Dr. Kristin Lyerly, OB-GYN physician, host of “The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show,” and 2024 Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 8th District.

Lyerly recounted her journey into politics: "When COVID hit and everything just blew up and misinformation was killing my patients, I thought, well, this is the time for me to step up into a more political place." She has since run for Wisconsin State Assembly (in 2020) and U.S. Congress (in 2024), losing both times.

She highlighted the impact of Wisconsin's restrictive abortion laws and the reactivation of a 1849 law that temporarily banned abortion in the state. Lyerly was one of the plaintiffs in a 2023 Wisconsin lawsuit that succeeded in making abortion legal again. As a consequence, she explained, "anti-abortion advocates filed an egregious complaint against my medical license that was dismissed, but it made it really clear to me that I'm a target in this environment. So I work in Minnesota, I work in a blue state where I know I'm safe and I can provide the kind of care that my patients need, including abortion care." 

Lyerly criticized Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and make steep cuts to Medicaid, which threaten rural hospitals and nursing homes. She emphasized the need for community organizing and Democrats winning the midterms to protect public health and health care access. Lyerly also criticized Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccination stance and the rise in preventable diseases like measles.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

And find the "Driving It Home (Full Episodes)" podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.