Episodes

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 million women live 1.6 million women that live in a county that does not have a single clinic that offers a range of contraceptive methods. Rachel Fey with Power to Decide talks to us about contraceptive deserts in the U.S. and why it is extremely important to expand access to birth control.

Read More

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 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 reproductive rights cases that will be presented before them in the spring.

Read More

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 with us about expanding student’s access to critical sexual and reproductive healthcare on campuses across the United States!

Read More

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).

Read More

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 to us about Planned Parenthood, Title X, and what we can do to fight back against these attacks on funding for reproductive health care.

Read More

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 work to restrict reproductive healthcare.

Read More

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 to reproductive health care and building a strong local response to gender-based violence. Estrella Alcalde with Pathfinder International Mozambique talks to us about the ways gender norms impact access to SRH care, and vice versa.

Read More

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 why we should be worried about the State Department’s new commission.

Read More

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 the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) sits down with us to talk about these specific reproductive health needs for adolescent girls in humanitarian settings.

Read More

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 integrating HIV, contraception/ pregnancy prevention, and other general services in order to reach teenagers seeking sexual and reproductive health services in Zambia.

Read More

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 has appeared under previous Republican administrations, but under the current administration it has been vastly expanded. Two years in to the expanded global gag rule, there are a plethora of negative effects. Vanessa Rios from the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) and Jade Maina from TICAH talk to us about IWHC’s new report and why the global gag rule must go.

Read More

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 allthe ways in which the current administration has undermined the health and rights of transgender individuals.

Read More

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 development of innovative contraceptive methods, and how her organization is leading the charge.

Read More

Abortion funds are grassroots organizations that are locally rooted and predominately volunteer-powered. They aid in removing financial and logistical barriers that people face when trying to access abortion care, while simultaneously advocating against the political and cultural barriers that make their work necessary. Abortion funds pay for abortions, pay for and organize transportation to appointments, arrange childcare and housing, and some even provide emotional support through doula access. Yamani Hernandez, Executive Director of the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF), talks to us about the importance of abortion networks during a time where abortion access across the U.S. is facing a blatant attack.

Read More

Often when we have conversations that feature both reproductive health and rights and faith, it seems the two subjects are diametrically opposed. But thanks to the large amount of diversity in the faith community, many individuals, communities, and organizations are supportive of bridging the gap between faith and reproductive health and rights! Reverend Katey Zeh, Executive Director for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, host of the Kindreds Podcast, and author of the book Women Rise Up: Sacred Stories of Resistance for Today’s Revolution, sits down with us to discuss why it’s important for people of faith to show public support for reproductive health and rights.

Read More

In Malawi, 2 in 5 sexually active unmarried women have an unmet need for contraception. In Zimbabwe, fewer than half of adolescents have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. And each year, one million Tanzanian women have an unintended pregnancy. Thandie Msukuma from Malawi, Dr. Lilian Benjamin Mwakyosi from Tanzania, and Hilda Zenda from Zimbabwe, advocates from the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), sit down with us to talk about what we can do to expand access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care for young people in these African countries.

Read More

Over the past couple of weeks, state legislatures around the U.S. have been passing six week bans, otherwise known as “heartbeat bans”. These extreme and unconstitutional abortion laws seek to ban the legal procedure once a fetal heart tone in an embryo is detected, which can be as early as six weeks in pregnancy. Jessica Pieklo, Vice President of Law and Courts at Rewire.news and co-host of the Boom! Lawyered podcast, and Imani Gandy, Senior Legal Analyst with Rewire.news, co-host of the Boom! Lawyered podcast, and founder of Angry Black Lady Chronicles, talk to us about this emergency situation and why these “heartbeat bans” are so severe and dangerous.

Read More

The language and the words we use to describe essential sexual and reproductive health services and issues is extremely important. For women of color, the ability to realize and control reproductive health and autonomy is often impacted by other factors like race, poverty, sexism, and more. Jessica Pinckney, Vice President of Government Affairs at In Our Own Voice: the National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda talks to us about reproductive justice as an all-encompassing human rights framework that seeks to ensure choice for all.

Read More

The law in Nigeria only allows abortion in the case of a woman’s life being in danger. Studies in Nigeria have shown that this restrictive law actually increases rates of abortion rather than lowering them. Hauwa Shekarau, country director with Ipas Nigeria, talks to us about the current and major task of working to reduce maternal deaths due to unsafe abortions, reduce complications from unsafe abortions, and enable women to have access to quality reproductive healthcare in Nigeria.

Read More

Everybody who is of voting age has the right to register to vote, vote in an election, and have their votes accurately tallied. It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about it, but voting rights are an important part of reproductive health, rights, and justice. Marcela Howell, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice, the National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, sits down with us to discuss why exercising your right to vote is critical in achieving reproductive justice for all.

Read More