In Part 2 of Abortion: The Body Politic, we step into the past, long before Roe, and trace the roots of today’s abortion’s debate to understand — if abortions have always happened and the majority of Americans have always believed they should be legally accessible — why is abortion such a contentious, even volatile, issue in this country. In this journey, a new narrative of reproductive resistance comes to the surface. Women, particularly Black, brown and indigenous, have always made choices that are best for their bodies, families, and lives — no matter the obstacles men have placed before them. In these stories of resistance we also hear first-hand accounts of surprising allies in underground abortion access, courage in the face of limited reproductive choices, and a relentless push for bodily autonomy. The illegal period before Roe is a mirror to our impending, post-Roe future. It’s vital that we pay attention.

More information on this episode’s guests and resources:

Books and more:

Reproductive Justice, by Loretta Ross and Rickie Solinger

When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973, by Leslie Reagan

The Janes, available to stream now on HBO Max
Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe V. Wade, by Daniel K. Williams

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597. 10 Takeaways from Week 5