Episodes

The International Center for Research on Women defines feminist foreign policy as “the policy of a state that defines its interactions with other states and movements in a manner that prioritizes gender equality and enshrines the human rights of women and other marginalized groups, allocates significant resources to achieve that vision and seeks, through its implementation, to disrupt racist, patriarchal and male-dominated power structures across all levers of influence, such as aid, trade, defense, diplomacy, and that this is informed by the voices of feminist groups, activists, and movements at home and abroad.” Lyric Thompson, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the International Center for Research on Women, and leader of the Coalition for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States, sits down to talk to us about the significance of feminist foreign policy, and how it can be achieved.

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Infertility is estimated to impact 10 to 15 percent of couples in the United States, making it the most common disease of people between the ages of 20 and 45. Frankie Robertson, with the National Birth Equity Collaborative and the Amandla Group, takes time to talk to us about the intricacies of infertility and why we need to look at it as a reproductive justice issue.

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Newly-appointed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has a proven track record of being a very conservative judge on issues like sexual violence, the Affordable Care Act, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive health and rights. In her confirmation hearing, Justice Barrett refused to answer many questions surrounding abortion, in vitro fertilization, and birth control. Caroline Reilly, legal fellow with Rewire News Group, talks to us about Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s past experience and personal views could certainly influence the future of health and rights in the United States.

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This week we are doing things a little differently! Long time listeners have probably heard our SRHR Hero Origin Stories podcast AND our SRHR Hero Origin Stories podcast: Round 2, 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 our most popular podcast episodes and talked to more leaders about their work, their passions, and their journeys into reproductive health for a third time!

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Note: Check out our introductory episode on the Global Gag Rule to learn more. You can also access our episode on the Global Gag Rule Two Years In: What Are We Seeing?

The Global Gag Rule has interfered with HIV prevention and contraceptive access and has increased unintended pregnancy and abortion rates. The Trump administration has engaged in unprecedented expansion of this rule (endangering the health and lives of millions around the world) and is looking to further expand who the gag rule applies to. Beirne Roose-Snyder, Director of Public Policy at the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) talks to us about the continuation of these harmful expansions even though 70 percent of Americans oppose the Global Gag Rule.

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The Commission on Unalienable Rights was convened by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The commission has championed religious freedom and property as human rights, but not reproductive health, LGBTQ+ wellbeing, immigrant rights, and more. Amanda Klasing, Interim Co-Director at the Women’s Rights Division at the Human Rights Watch and Tarah Demant, Director of Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Program at Amnesty International USA sit down to talk to us about this commission’s most recent report and how it is harmful for global human rights.

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On September 18, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away from complications related to pancreatic cancer. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a fierce defender of justice for all. Leila Abolfazli, Director of Federal Reproductive Rights at the National Women’s Law Center sits down to talk to us about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy and what’s at stake when it comes to our sexual and reproductive health and rights.

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**Note: This episode was recorded before the heartbreaking death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In legislative sessions across the U.S. in the year of 2019, more than 300 anti-abortion bills were introduced and 58 restrictions were enacted. Some of these sexual and reproductive health-related laws will end up in front of the courts, meaning an individual’s right to abortion access in some states ends up in the hands of whatever judges preside in the court. Anisha Singh, Director of Judiciary and Democracy Affairs with Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPACT), sits down to talk with us about how our courts play a critical role in our sexual and reproductive health and rights.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is both exacerbating and laying bare the ways in which marginalized communities continue to be further marginalized when it comes to healthcare access. Specifically, women, people of color, and transgender and gender non-conforming folks are often underrepresented or completely excluded from clinical trial and vaccine development. Jamille Fields Allsbrook, Director of Women’s Health and Rights at the Center for American Progress, sits down with us to discuss the ways in which disparities in representation lead to disparities in the development of clinical trials and vaccines.

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Currently in Alabama, the state does not have a mandate on teaching sexual education. Most of the information taught in schools is abstinence-only-based, medically inaccurate, and stigmatizing to LGBTQ+ students. There are also much higher rates of cervical cancer (a highly treatable and preventable disease) in Alabama, with Black women twice as likely to die of the disease as white women. Annerieke Smaak Daniel, a fellow in the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, joins us to talk with us about the status of comprehensive sex education is a state that is failing its young people.

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Reproductive health and rights and the health and rights of transgender individuals are issues that are both rooted in bodily autonomy and are both under attack. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, conservative lawmakers have been going out of their way to continue attacks on transgender and reproductive health and rights. Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire.News and Katelyn Burns, political writer at Vox.com, talk about how these intersectional attacks and are ultimately rooted in anti-science and bad-faith arguments.

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The Helms amendment is an amendment to the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act which states that U.S. government foreign assistance funds cannot be used for “the performance of abortion as a method of family planning.” The Helms amendment undermines U.S. efforts to improve maternal health and mortality by denying access to abortion services. Anu Kumar, President and CEO of IPAS, talks to us about how dangerous this 47-year-old amendment really is and why it has to go.

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This week’s podcast episode is a different format. Preston Mitchum, Director of Policy with Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity (URGE), sits down to share his experience of having recently been diagnosed with and recovering from COVID-19.

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Abortion access does not look the same for everyone in the United States. That’s because whether or not someone can access an abortion is often tied to factors like income, transportation, insurance coverage, ability to find childcare, and more. COVID-19 has highlighted the inequities in the U.S. system. Dr. Bhavik Kumar, Medical Director for Primary and Trans Care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast and National Medical Spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Federation of America sits down to talk with us about those inequities and how they span across the full spectrum of healthcare.

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ICYMI: On Wednesday, June 8th, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that institutions and employers are exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s birth control mandate, which requires employers to provide contraception coverage with no co-pay through insurance plans, as long as they reference a religious or moral opposition. Mara Gandal-Powers, Director of Birth Control Access and Senior Counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, sits down to talk with us about the most recent birth control-related Supreme Court ruling and how this tramples the health and rights of many across the United States.

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On June 29, 2020, the Supreme Court struck down limitations to abortion care in Louisiana in a major case, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. T.J. Tu, Senior Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights and co-counsel for the June Medical Services LLC v. Russo sits down with us to talk about this major victory for abortion rights in Louisiana and beyond.

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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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