Gender & Bodily Autonomy

We discuss  the enthusiasm for civic engagement by right-wing women, which translates to power and victory at the ballot box.

We discuss the growing phenomenon of pregnancy criminalization, examine the path forward in a post-Dobbs world, and consider what a just jurisprudence of pregnancy might look like.

We discuss the intersection of feminism and democracy and discover how the egalitarian underpinnings of feminism are fundamental to an equal society. Abortion bans illustrate this well. “Any time there's a conflict between the Constitution and someone's personal bodily autonomy and the subject of rights under the law, that is anti-democratic.”

Cynthia Richie Terrell is the founder and executive director of RepresentWomen. We discuss institutional reforms that can reduce the barriers for women to run, win, and govern.

Jenice Fountain is the Executive Director of the Yellowhammer Fund, a reproductive justice organization in Birmingham that serves Alabama, Mississippi, and the deep south. We discuss what the actual lived experience is in Alabama, a year after the Dobbs decision.

Laphonza Butler is President of Emily’s List, an organization that aims to help elect pro-choice democratic women to office. We're inspired by the organization's motto to "reject apathy and the status quo. Repeat daily." We discuss how women bring the challenges and dreams of their community to the policymaking table.

Amanda Brown Lierman is the Executive Director at Supermajority and Supermajority Education Fund, which builds women’s political power through efforts to inform, train and organize women across age, race, and background.

Rachel Vindman is the host of the Suburban Women Problem podcast and wife of retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman. We discuss the disenchantment of suburban women with our politics–who historically vote in very high numbers, our personal responsibility to use our voices for change, and the war in Ukraine.

Andrea Miller is the President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. As we await the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which will likely overturn Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion. We discuss how we got here and how we can prepare for the unwelcome reality of a post-Roe America.

Carol Jenkins is the President and CEO of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality, sister organizations dedicated to the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. We discuss the current state of the ERA and why this constitutional amendment will address the problems of equality, misogyny, and discrimination. 

We’re sharing a curated list of podcast recommendations on abortion rights that we put together for our friends at EarBuds Podcast Collective in September 2021. All of the episodes give deeper context and background on reproductive rights at a time when the risk of rollback is very high.

Michele Goodwin is a Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine and founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy. We discuss how America’s current social contract in public health affects COVID response, health outcomes in minority populations, and reproductive rights.

Brette McSweeney is the President of Eleanor’s Legacy, a group dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office in New York State. We discuss the critical impact of local and state elections on our daily lives, and the value of electing more women to represent us.

Glynda Carr is CEO and co-Founder of Higher Heights for America, a PAC dedicated to electing progressive Black women. We discuss the necessity of being engaged beyond election day, the political power of Black women voters, and the value of normalizing their presence in higher public office.

Amanda Hunter is the Executive Director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, an organization that promotes women in politics and contemporary art. We discuss what it takes for a woman to get elected and why it’s been such an uphill battle to reach the highest executive office.

Kelly Dittmar is the Director of Research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. She explains why diversity among women serving in public office enhances our democracy, and how we can support more women to run and win elections.

Martha Nussbaum is a renowned philosopher, professor, and author of Citadels of Pride: Sexual Abuse, Accountability, and Reconciliation. We discuss the objectification of women, progress in holding perpetrators and the system accountable, and a radical form of justice.