Episodes

The Anti-Prostitution Loyalty Oath (APLO) is a provision that prevents foreign NGOs and international affiliates of U.S. organizations from using the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funds in a way that “promotes prostitution or sex trafficking” and they must have an explicit policy opposing prostitution and sex trafficking. Kiefer Buckingham, Senior Policy Advisor with the Open Society Foundations and Open Society Policy Center sits down to talk with us about how the recent Supreme Court ruling that protects APLO is ultimately stigmatizing, discriminatory, and harmful to the goal of fighting HIV/AIDS.

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Sex education shouldn’t solely be about anatomy, condom use, and STIs. It should also include education on consent, healthy relationships, and different sexual orientations and gender identities. Jennifer Driver, Vice President of Policy and Strategic Partnerships at SIECUS: Sex Ed For Social Change, sits down to talk with us about why positive LGBTQ+ representation and inclusive, medically-accurate information makes a huge difference in sex education courses.

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The Supreme Court this week ruled on a case in which they decided it was illegal to discriminate against LGBT people in employment situations under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The decision was ruled 6-3, and the majority opinion was penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice John Roberts also joined the majority side. Katelyn Burns, political reporter covering general politics and LGBTQ issues at Vox, talks to us (and celebrates with us!) in this bonus podcast episode.

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The United Nations makes important decisions around a wide variety of issues including the sexual and reproductive health and rights of people around the world. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the U.S. has been actively fighting against providing global sexual and reproductive health and rights. Shannon Kowalski, Director of Advocacy and Policy at the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), sits down to talk with us about how the U.S. has attempted to weaken reproductive health and rights around the world through their role at the UN.

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Title IX is an anti-discrimination law that protects students and employees in education environments. The rule is critical-- it ensures that schools respond appropriately to sexual harassment and assault against employees and students in educational institutions around the U.S. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has introduced a new rule that would essentially dismantle Title IX and have schools take steps to discourage students from reporting sexual harassment and assault on campus. Shiwali Patel with the National Women’s Law Center talks to us about this extremely harmful rule change and what it could mean for students across the country.

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While we’ve heard a lot about how COVID-19 is impacting our access to sexual and reproductive health here in the United States, the devastation to SRHR will be felt the world over. In fact, the progress that has been made in supplying women and girls in low- and middle-income countries with reproductive health services could be significantly rolled back as the pandemic continues. Zara Ahmed with the Guttmacher Institute sits down with us to talk about this world-wide change in access.

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On May 6th, the Supreme Court will hear a case regarding Trump administration rules that would allow virtually any employer or university with objections to contraception to exclude birth control from any employer-based or student health plans. Mara Gandal-Powers with the National Women’s Law Center sits down with us to talk about this landmark case and how we got here.

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In case you haven’t heard, states around the U.S. are taking advantage of the global pandemic in an effort to ban and severely limit access to abortion care. Governors and lawmakers in these states argue that abortion is a “non-essential” health service, and that hospital and clinic resources that are used to perform both procedural and medication abortion should be redirected toward COVID-19 relief. Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy with Rewire.News and the Boom! Lawyered podcast helps us break down this bogus argument.

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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 health care, they face an additional, unnecessary stressor; anti-abortion protestors ignoring public health protocol and crowding the entrance of clinics. While abortion clinics are simply trying to provide reproductive health care during a turbulent time, anti-abortion protestors are blatantly disregarding the safety and health of others. We talk to Calla Hales, executive director of A Preferred Women’s Health Center, about clinic harassment outside of and during this unprecedented pandemic.

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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 Center for Solutions Journalism, talk to us about the sexual and reproductive health and rights landscape in Malawi.

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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 talk with Sophia Kerby with the State Innovation Exchange.

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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 States, we hope that Dr. Verma, Stephanie Goodell, and Hannah’s stories will highlight the importance of abortion access without frivolous limitations on this week’s bonus episode.

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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 the Center for Reproductive Rights who will be arguing the case in front of the Supreme Court, talks to us about the impact of this all-important Supreme Court case.

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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 protecting this program can benefit the reproductive health and rights of folks around the U.S.

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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 abortion access and maternal health crisis that Black women face on a daily basis in the United States.

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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-founder and co-director of Reproaction to talk about how dangerous these centers can be.

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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 about the ups and downs of reproductive health in 2019.

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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 grades the U.S. on its international reproductive health policies.

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This week we are doing things a little differently! Long time listeners have probably heard our first SRHR Hero Origin Stories podcast, where we talked to a number of amazing heroes in the field of reproductive health, rights, and justice and heard about how they began working in this space. We have reprised one of our most popular podcast episodes and talked to more leaders about their work, their passions, and their journeys into reproductive health!

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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 the SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, talks to us about why we need sex education that is medically-accurate, inclusive of all genders and sexual orientations, and stresses topics like consent, healthy relationships, and more.

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