rePROs Fight Back

Trigger Warning: In this episode we talk about intimate partner violence. If you need help or to talk to someone you can call or chat the National Domestic Violence Hotline at https://www.thehotline.org/ 1-800-799-SAFE or the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) at https://www.rainn.org/ 1-800-656-HOPE.    Over the course of a single year, more than 12 million people are victims of int...

There have been and continue to be significant bans on abortion in the military (with limited exceptions), through TRICARE and at military treatment facilities. This means most military service members and dependents who need abortion care cannot access it through the military. Jackii Wang , Senior Legislative Analyst with the National Women’s Law Center, sits down to talk with us about a new poli...

Patients needed abortion funds even before the fall of Roe v. Wade in order to access care, but those needs have skyrocketed after Dobbs and as the abortion access landscape becomes more fractured. Tyler Barbarin , Director of Grants and Development for the Louisiana Abortion Fund, sits down to talk with us about how abortion funds are working overtime to help people access the care they need in t...

On July 13th, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opill, a progestin-only birth control pill, for over-the-counter sale. The United States will now join over 100 countries where birth control pills are available without a prescription. Victoria Nichols , Project Director with Free the Pill, sits down to talk to us about what this approval means for birth control equity and access...

Abortion rates around the world have stayed the same since the 1990s—except in countries where abortion restrictions have been newly introduced. Tarah Demant , Interim National Director of Programs, Advocacy and Government Affairs at Amnesty International USA, sits down to talk with us about the countries that have recently introduced abortion restrictions, the countries that have protected aborti...

June 24th, 2023 marked one-year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade via the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case. Between July and December 2022, an estimated 66,000 people have not been able to access abortion care in their home state. Becca Andrews , reporter at Reckon News and author of No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental...

At the end of May, Uganda’s president signed into law a piece of legislation that criminalizes the LGBTQI+ community it includes that death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” creates new crimes around “promotion of homosexuality,” and 10 years in prison for attempted same-sex conduct. Ophelia Kemigisha , human rights lawyer and feminist activist from Uganda, and Beirne Roose-Snyder, Senior Po...

One year after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that served as the platform for Roe v. Wade’s overturning, 15 states have now banned all or most abortions. Garnet Henderson , Senior Multiplatform Reporter for Rewire News Group and host and producer of ACCESS: A Podcast About Abortion, sits down to talk with us about the country-wide need for abortion care and violence against...

Since the start of the Green Wave movement, multiple countries across Latin America have liberalized their abortion laws . Ivonne Garza , Senior Associate at the O’Neill Institute for National Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center and Natialia Acevedo Guerrero , Senior Consultant with the Health and Human Rights Initiative at the O’Neill Institute, sit down to talk with us about re...

More than half of states in the United States have banned transgender women and girls from female sports, including at the middle and high school age. Katelyn Burns , columnist for MSNBC and Xtra Magazine and co-host of the podcast Cancel Me Daddy , sits down with us to talk about a new Title IX rule proposed by the Biden administration and what it covers—and doesn’t cover—when it comes to the pro...

During the last three decades, Vietnam’s general public has achieved an all-time high in contraceptive prevalence rates. However, many still face barriers in accessing their choice of contraceptive methods or provider. Hang Nguyen , Country Director for Marie Stopes International (MSI) Reproductive Choices in Vietnam, sits down to talk with us about those who are most impacted by these obstacles a...

Catholic hospitals and existing religious restrictions on abortion are currently co-existing with post- Roe abortion bans across the U.S. And, in states where abortion is still accessible, Catholic hospitals are still a sizable barrier to accessing compassionate, evidence-based medical care. Amy Littlefield , Abortion Access Correspondent at the Nation, sits down with us to discuss how trauma prev...

On Friday, April 8, 2023, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued an unprecedented ruling out of Texas that has the ability to impact medication abortion access nationwide. Mark Joseph Stern , senior writer at Slate covering courts and the law, sits down to talk to us about the recent ruling on mifepristone, what the FDA can do, and what this currently means for medication abortion access in the U.S.   The...

The Global Gag Rule (GGR) prevents foreign non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. foreign assistance funds from providing, advocating for, counseling on, or referring for abortion services even when done with their non-U.S. funds. Bergen Cooper, Director of Policy Research at Fòs Feminista and Kat Olivera, Associate Director for U.S. Global Policy at Fòs Feminista, sit down to talk to us...

Gender inequality can lead to women and girl’s having lower income and educational attainment and decreased autonomy and political power. Bridget Kelly , Director of Research for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at the Population Institute, sits down to talk with us about the report Connecting the Dots: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights as Prerequisites for Global Gender Equality...

Medication abortion is safer than Tylenol, and it’s certainly safer than carrying a pregnancy to term. So why is there a case out of Texas that claims medication abortion is dangerous and must be banned? Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire News Group and Co-Host of the Boom! Lawyered podcast, sits down to talk with us about the frivolous framework of this cas...

Less than two months into 2023, 325 bills aimed at the health and rights of transgender folks have been introduced in state legislatures around the country— more bills than the last four legislative years put together. Erin Reed , a queer legislative researcher and activist covering transgender legislation and life around the world, gives us an update on transgender health and rights in America, i...

People’s ability to access healthcare and achieve positive health outcomes should not depend on who they are, but unfortunately, and all too often, it does. In the United States, this is particularly true for Black, brown, Indigenous, and low-income individuals. Abortion is healthcare, and it is just as difficult to access for disproportionally impacted people as other forms of healthcare. Liza Fu...

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration announced that retail pharmacies in the US would be able to receive certification to dispense medication abortion drugs. Greer Donley , Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, sits down to talk with us about the FDA’s recent changes to regulations around medication abortion, including the current status of access, possible chall...

New research from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice shows that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has devastated Latinas the most among people of color. In fact, nearly 6.5 million Latinas—42% of all Latinas ages 15-49—living in the 26 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion. Elizabeth Estrada , New York Field and Advocacy Manger for NLIRJ, sits...

The Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade has, in many states, decimated access to abortion care and prevented abortion providers from treating patients. Dr. Leah Torres , Obstetrician/Gynecologist practicing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, sits down to talk with us about the state of abortion access in Alabama and how the United States’ healthcare system layout is generally preventing access to qual...

Abortion funds work overtime to help patients hurdle financial and logistical barriers to abortion access, and their work has gotten increasingly more difficult after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Oriaku Njoku , Executive Director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, sits down with us to talk about the power of abortion funds, what they do for communities, and how they facilitate access to...

Longtime supporters of rePROs Fight Back know what time of year it is… tune in for a reprisal of our most popular series, SRHR Hero Origin Stories! If you haven’t already, check out our previous episodes, SRHR Hero Origin Stories , SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 2 , SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 3, SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 4 , and SRHR Hero Origin Stories Round 5 (Part 1) where we talked...

Longtime supporters of rePROs Fight Back know what time of year it is… tune in for a reprisal of our most popular series, SRHR Hero Origin Stories! If you haven’t already, checked out our previous episodes, SRHR Hero Origin Stories , SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 2 , SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 3, and SRHR Hero Origin Stories: Round 4 , where we talked to a number of amazing heroes in the fi...

The green wave, a liberal feminist movement started in Argentina, increased mobilization in 2020 in to decriminalize and destigmatize abortion across multiple countries in Latin America. Catalina Martínez Coral, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Center for Reproductive Rights and leading member of the movement that decriminalized abortion in Colombia, sits down with us t...