It’s been nearly a year (June 27, 2016)) since the US Supreme Court struck down two provisions of a Texas law regulating abortion. The clinic at the center of the case in Austin is reopening to patients for the first time in three years, the first to do so since Texas’ House Bill 2 forced more than half the clinics that provide abortion in the state to close.

No other shuttered clinic has announced plans to resume services. Today, we revisit the controversy and examine what’s happened leading up to this point, and what’s next.

Also this hour…

Modern Midlife

Houston entrepreneur Lee Brochstein created Intersection M to fill a void she felt existed for women at midlife. Her business aims to provide these women with resources for their health, career, and relationships. Houston Matters producer Maggie Martin talks with Brochstein ahead of a seminar her business is hosting at the Health Museum on Sunday, May 7.

Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationships

Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt introduced SB 7 that passed unanimously in the Senate (March 7, 2017). The proposed bill toughens penalties for educator misconduct in Texas — specifically to crack down on improper student-teacher relationships. It’s been a topic of interest for some lawmakers and educators for a number of years now. How big is the problem? And is it worse here in Texas than in other states? Why? To learn more, we talk with Sen. Paul Bettencourt and Zeph Capo, the president of the Houston Federation of Teachers.

Yellow Rose Comedy Festival

Friday and Saturday (May 12-13, 2017), Houston hosts its first-ever all-female comedy festival at Warehouse Live. It’s called the Yellow Rose Comedy Festival.The two-day festival formed out of frustration when local comedian Liz Padjen complained to her sister, Emily (aka “Padj”), about unfair treatment she said she’s received because she’s a woman in a business dominated by men.

“It’s hard enough being a woman in everyday life — let alone when you are such a stark minority,” Liz said. “I was definitely dissatisfied with the number of shows and festivals I was getting into.” So the sisters decided to take matters into their own hands and start their own festival to celebrate local women who do stand up. All but one comedian in the festival’s lineup is from Houston or Texas. That lone exception is the headliner, Sara Schaefer. Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty talks with Emily and Liz to find out more about the festival and the challenges of being a female comic

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