No Body Criminalized

Host Rafa Kidvai is joined by Ashley Sawyer , an advocate and attorney focusing on the criminalization of young people in schools. They discuss the pervasive nature of the school-to-prison pipeline, how trauma intersects with the experiences of marginalized students, and the importance of dismantling oppressive structures in education. If you have questions about your legal rights or access to abo...

In this episode, host Rafa Kidvai is joined by Shanelle Matthews, founder of the Radical Communicators Network and a distinguished lecturer at City College at the City University of New York. Shanelle discusses the critical role of narrative power in social movements, the importance of centering marginalized communities, and how storytelling can challenge dominant societal norms.  If you have ques...

Sahar Pirzada, the director of movement building at HEART, an organization working to advance reproductive justice through sexual health and education in Muslim American communities, joins host Rafa Kidvai to discuss reproductive justice and liberation. They explore the impact of state violence, the importance of cultural change work, and how global perspectives shape the fight for reproductive ju...

Kylee Sunderlin, a judicial bypass attorney in Michigan and the legal services director at If/When/How , joins host Rafa Kidvai to discuss the complexities and challenges of the judicial bypass process for young people seeking abortions. They delve into the emotional and bureaucratic hurdles, the systemic flaws, and the need for policy changes to support young people's autonomy and reproductive ri...

Rafa Kidvai is joined by Fariha Róisín , author of Who Is Wellness For? and Being In Your Body , about her own abortion and the complexities of bodily autonomy and self-care. Fariha discusses the limitations of wellness culture, the importance of addressing trauma, and the necessity of healing on both individual and collective levels.  If you have questions about your legal rights or access to abo...

Leigh Goodmark, director of the Gender, Prison, and Trauma Clinic at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, speaks with host Rafa Kidvai about the intersections of intimate partner violence and abolition feminism. They discuss Leigh's journey from advocating for carceral solutions to embracing abolition, the impact of state violence on survivors, and the importance of envisioning a world...

Diala Shamas is a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights . She joins host Rafa Kidvai to talk about the impact of state surveillance on Muslim communities and some of the unseen harms that come from the criminalization of a people based on their identity. The discussion highlights the intersection of surveillance with the reproductive justice movement and the broader implica...

Ma'ayan Anafi , Senior Counsel for Health Equity and Justice for the National Women's Law Center, joins host Rafa Kidvai to share the disturbing reality of forced sterilization laws still active in the majority of U.S. states. They discuss the historical roots of these laws, their impact on disabled people today, and opportunities for reform. Ma'ayan highlights the intersections of reproductive ju...

Journalist and author Victoria Law joins host Rafa Kidvai to discuss the harrowing experiences of incarcerated pregnant people, exemplified by the story of K. Winston , who was denied an abortion in an Ohio jail. They delve into the systemic barriers to reproductive care in prisons, the intersection of incarceration and reproductive justice, and the urgent need to address these hidden injustices....

Jared Trujillo, policy counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and a former sex worker, explains their campaign to decriminalize sex work. Jared shares how decriminalizing sex work would make it safer and why sex workers should be entitled to the same legal protections and workplace rights as any other worker. He discusses with host Rafa Kidvai the harm that comes from criminalizing...

Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi joins Rafa Kidvai to discuss the challenges faced by abortion providers in the wake of a post- Roe reality–and how her Texas-based practice has had to navigate barriers to care even before the Dobbs decision. Dr. Moayedi shares the impact of abortion bans she experiences first-hand on both providers and patients, and the strategies she employs to ensure continued compassionate...

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg joins host Rafa Kidvai to explore the connection between abortion and her Jewish values. Rabbi Ruttenberg shares her perspective on the role of faith in empowering individuals to control their own reproductive health.  Visit Repro Legal Defense Fund to learn more. Follow Rabbi Ruttenberg on Twitter @ TheRaDR . If you have questions about your legal rights or access to aborti...

Renee Bracey Sherman wants to shift society’s idea of abortion by sharing real abortion stories. As founder and executive director of WeTestify , an organization working to change the conversation surrounding abortion, she empowers individuals to talk about their decision on their own terms. She speaks with host Rafa Kidvai about her mission and why she thinks abortion is a rejection of patriarchy...

Harper Keenan, the Quartermain Professor of Gender & Sexuality in Education at the University of British Columbia, thinks a lot about how we support children to navigate their bodies. He talks to host Rafa Kidvai about how important educators are, since our kids spend so much time at school, and how instilling the values of bodily autonomy and self determination at a young age can impact the wider...

From navigating parental notification laws to being under state supervision, Oriaku Njoku, executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds and co-founder of Access Reproductive Care Southeast (ARC) , shares with Rafa Kidvai the various factors that can make accessing abortion care difficult and how abortion funds can help. Oriaku discusses their mission to shift attitudes around abort...

Sophia Gurulé, an immigration defense attorney and policy advocate, explains “crimmigration”–the intersection of the criminal legal system with the U.S. immigration system. Sophia shares with host, Rafa Kidvai, how even very brief encounters with the criminal punishment system can lead to detention and how state surveillance using these two systems can lead to deportation. Visit Repro Legal Defens...

Nora Carroll is a public defender at the Legal Aid Society, and cofounder of the Parole Preparation Project . When host Rafa Kidvai asks her to apply a reproductive justice lens to her experience in the criminal legal system, Nora explains how difficult it is for folks  in prisons or jails to exercise their right to exert control over their own bodies. And how even after getting out through parole...

Pilar Weiss, founder and director of the Community Justice Exchange , shares with host Rafa Kidvai how the bail process robs entire families and communities of freedom and safety–particularly in the immigration detention system. Also founder of the National Bail Fund Network , Pilar challenges listeners to imagine a world beyond reform–and towards abolition of the prison industrial complex. Visit...

Chase Strangio, the Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, and host Rafa Kidvai of the Repro Legal Defense Fund at If/When/How know that their movements’ path to freedom depends on one another. They go deep on the interdependence of transgender and reproductive justice, and explore what true liberation should be founded on–love. Visit Repro Legal Defense Fund t...

In each episode of this series, Rafa Kidvai of the Repro Legal Defense Fund at If/When/How interviews experts about how policy in the U.S. is used to control and surveil the decisions people make about their own bodies. From the way parole limits someone’s access to their family, to the impact education has on how children learn about bodily autonomy … this podcast highlights stories and analysis...