On The Issues With Michele Goodwin June Medical and the Future of Abortion Rights
On today’s show, we focus on June Medical v. Russo and the future of abortion rights—a case where the Supreme Court struck down a challenge to abortion rights in Louisiana, a state in which reproductive health care access is already fraught. The law would have required all doctors performing abortions to obtain hospital admitting privileges. Even though this case has put such challenges to rest, lawmakers in Louisiana have effectively undercut women’s access to reproductive healthcare, causing clinic closures and more. As our guests make clear, Roe is not enough.
However, it’s not just abortion rights or pregnancy at stake, with regard to women’s health. Reproductive justice matters, and bringing that lens into these conversations is urgent. The rise in criminalization of pregnant women for failing to comport to the state’s standards for behavior during pregnancy is alarming. Women have been threatened with arrest for refusing C-sections, falling down steps and attempting suicide during pregnancy. Where does this end? What should we be concerned about? What’s the future of Americans being able to exercise control their own reproductive futures, given the aggressive attacks at the state and federal levels? We close considering how organizations, doctors, lawyers and activists are fighting back.
Joining us for this episode are:
-Yamani Hernandez, executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds.
-Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
-Kathaleen Pittman, administrator of Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La., the main plaintiff in June Medical v. Russo.
-Mary Ziegler, a Stearns Weaver Miller professor at Florida State University College of Law specializing in the legal history of reproduction, the family, sexuality and the Constitution