rePROs Fight Back

In case you missed it, states around the country are attempting to attack access to abortion by taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and manipulating the definition of “essential health services.” While abortion providers are under pressure due to maintaining the safety of staff and patients, handling state-by-state legislative attacks, and continuing to provide essential and time-sensitive h...

18% of maternal deaths in Malawi are due to complications from unsafe abortion. Malawi also consistently fights against child marriage, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality. Emma Kaliya , director of the Malawi Human Rights Resource Center and Chair of the Coalition for Prevention of Unsafe Abortion in Malawi and Brian Ligomeka , head of the Center for Solutions Journalism, talk to us abo...

Attacks on abortion access don’t just occur at the federal level— in fact, by the end of 2019, 25 abortion restrictions had been passed on state legislatures around the country. While some states are working overtime to limit reproductive health and rights, some are working just as hard to protect them. To address this divide on reproductive health and rights around the country, we sit down to tal...

The Supreme Court case June Medical Services vs. Russo is being argued today, March 4th, 2020. Dr. Nisha Verma, an OB-GYN and abortion provider, and Stephanie Goodell, a patient treated by Dr. Verma, share their story. Another storyteller, Hannah, tells us what it’s like to access abortion care in the state of Louisiana. As the Supreme Court rules on the future of abortion access in the United Sta...

On March 4th, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear a case June Medical Services LLC vs. Russo . This case will examine a Louisiana “admitting privileges” law that would leave only one abortion provider to operate in the entire state. It could also set a dangerous precedent for the future of abortion access across the United States. Julie Rikelman , one of the lead counsels with t...

Medicaid is both a federal and state health coverage program that serves certain low-income people. It is not the same program as Medicare, which is a health coverage program for older Americans over 65 and some with certain disabilities. Jamille Fields Allsbrook , Director of Women’s Health and Rights at the Center for American Progress, sits down with us to talk all things Medicaid and how prote...

The United States is an extremely unstable landscape when it comes to being pregnant and giving birth. Black women, in accessing abortion care, tend to face more geographic, transportation, infrastructure, and economic barriers. And Black women are three to four times more likely to die from causes related to childbirth and pregnancy. Jessica Pinckney with In Our Own Voice talks to us about the ab...

If you’ve been driving down the highway or taking public transportation and seen a “Pregnant? Need help?” sign, you’ve likely seen an advertisement for a crisis pregnancy center (CPC). Crisis pregnancy centers are anti-abortion, fake clinics. The purpose is to mislead, shame, and dissuade people seeking abortion care from getting the care that they want and need. We sit down with Erin Matson , co-...

This year, states around the country passed 6-week abortion bans, critical cases on reproductive health and rights and LGBTQ rights reached the Supreme Court, targeted regulation of abortion provider (TRAP) laws have passed through statehouses around the country, and violence and harassment outside clinics have risen. Lauren Rankin , freelance writer and clinic escort, sits down to talk with us ab...

Every day in the U.S., there seems to be a new attack on reproductive health and rights. Still, it is important to remember that the U.S.’ policies also impact sexual and reproductive health and rights for populations abroad. Bergen Cooper with Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) sits down with us to talk about their organization’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Index, which gr...

This week we are doing something a little different. We talked to a number of amazing sexual and reproductive health and rights heroes to hear their story of how they got into working in the reproductive justice or sexual and reproductive health and rights space.  We talked with:  Jennie Wetter, rePROs Fight Back and Population Institute Katherine Olivera, International Women's Health Coaliti...

Across the United States, the overall state of sex education is inconsistent, inaccurate, and non-inclusive. Less than 40% of high schools and only 14% of middle schools meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for sex education. Chris Harley , President and CEO at SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change talks to us about why we need sex education that is medically-accurate, inclu...

The term ‘contraceptive desert’ refers to an area that lacks reasonable access to a clinic that does not have a full range of birth control methods. There are 19.5 million women (but remember, it isn’t just women who require access to contraception), who have low-incomes and lack reasonable access to a clinic in their county that offers a full range of birth control methods. Within those 19.5 mill...

The Supreme Court is officially back in session, which means that cases on LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights will come before the bench. Katelyn Burns, a freelance journalist covering LGBTQ and reproductive health and rights issues and the first openly transgender reporter on Capitol Hill joins us to talk about the LGBTQ+ cases that the Supreme Court has already heard this term, and the reprod...

Students are headed back to school on university campuses across the country, and that means they are seeking healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare. Unfortunately, many students will find it difficult to access the reproductive healthcare that they need. Lauren Morrissey and Christina Frasik, co-founders of the Student Coalition for Reproductive Justice (SCRJ), sit down to talk wi...

Under the Trump administration, there have been countless assaults on the health and rights of the LGBTQ community. From religious refusals to blatant discrimination, Julie Gonen with the National Center for Lesbian Rights talks to us about how the Trump administration is attacking LGBTQ rights through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitt...

The Trump-Pence administration has been attacking reproductive health and rights since taking office, but the most recent assault has been on the nation’s Title X program. In fact, Planned Parenthood (which provides care to about 40 percent of the country’s 4 million Title X patients) has been forced to withdraw from the program. Jack Rayburn with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America talks...

It’s important to know if your hospital has a religious affiliation because it can possibly impact the care you receive. Catholic hospitals make up a huge swath of the U.S. healthcare system; in fact, 1 in 6 acute-care hospital beds are located in a Catholic health facility. Amy Littlefield , an investigative reporter with Rewire. News, sits down with us to talk about the ways Catholic hospitals w...

You can’t talk about providing reproductive and sexual health care without talking about gender inequality, and you can’t talk about gender inequality without talking about sexual and reproductive health. In Mozambique, 20,000 + women and girls have received gender-based violence services from facilities supported by Pathfinder International, and the organization is on the ground providing access...

The State Department has recently set up a “Commission on Inalienable Rights” that worries reproductive rights advocates, LGBTQ+ advocates, and human rights advocates. Amanda Klasing , acting Co-Director of the Women’s Rights Division with the Human Rights Watch, and Tarah Demant , Director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Identity program with Amnesty International USA sit down to talk with us about...

Humanitarian settings refer to a place where there has been a man-made or natural disaster. When these disasters strike, populations are often forced to leave their communities or country, and are forced to resettle. While people indeed need food, shelter, and water in humanitarian settings, there are also special reproductive health needs that women and adolescent girls face. Julianne Deitch with...

Being a teenager can be scary and confusing, especially when it comes to your sexual and reproductive health. Teenagers in Zambia feel like they can’t approach their families or health clinics for information and services, especially when it comes to pregnancy and HIV prevention. Inonge Wina-Chinyama , an advocate with Marie Stopes International (MSI) Zambia, talks to us about how MSI is integrati...

The global gag rule, also known as the ‘Mexico City Policy,’ is a U.S. foreign policy that prohibits non-U.S., non-governmental organizations from using their own private funds to provide comprehensive abortion care, counseling for abortion, referral for abortion, or organizing/lobbying/conducting public campaigns in support of abortion on the condition of receiving global health funding. The rule...

Since the day President Trump took office, there have been countless attacks on the health, rights, and well-being of transgender people. Katelyn Burns , a freelance journalist covering LGBTQ and reproductive health issues and the first openly transgender reporter on Capitol Hill joins us to talk about all the ways in which the current administration has undermined the health and rights of transge...

It’s no secret that there are a wealth of contraceptive methods that exist today, including methods like the birth control pill, the hormonal or non-hormonal IUD, the implant, the patch, and many more! Still, there are people around the world whose contraception needs are simply not being met. Julia Bunting with the Population Council sits down with us to discuss the need to continue the developme...