rePROs Fight Back, a multi-award winning podcast, does-dives into reproductive health, rights, and justice issues like abortion, birth control, sex education, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equity, and more. New episodes debut every Tuesday, giving you an insider’s perspective on what is happening and what you can do to fight back.
Reproductive rights, LGBTQI+ rights, and democracy cannot be discussed in isolation; fundamentally, they are all about who has the freedom to make choices for themselves, and each one affects the other. Cristina Uribe , Chief of Programs at the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity (CGRE) and Director of the Gender Equity Action Fund (GEAF), sits down with us to explain how these topics are deeply interconnected. Attacks on women and LGBTQ+ communities weaken our democracy by pitting Americans against Americans and creating enemies out of neighbors. Opponents of these communities—and democracy at large—understand these connections and use strategies like ballot measures and wedge issues to divide coalitions and erode rights. Responding to these coordinated attacks requires coalition-building, commitment to civic engagement, and a recognition that attacks to one group’s rights ultimately threaten everyone’s freedoms. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Uncertainty is a Given: Litigation Post-Roe
Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case which overturned Roe v. Wade was decided, there’s been an abortion access crisis, an assault on legal precedent for abortion protections, and an opportunity to create a stronger and even more inclusive plan to reproductive autonomy than Roe ever provided. Amy Myrick , Senior Council at the Center for Reproductive Rights, sits down to talk with us about legal trends in federal and state courts in the past four years. Currently, legal cases have been aimed towards medication abortion and telehealth (a lifeline after Dobbs ). It is important to remember that legal attacks on abortion have broader implications, including for transgender health and rights (particularly for young people). Increasingly, anti-abortion actors have had to pivot to tactics that are often blatantly anti-democratic. In several states, ballot amendments have been taken to court. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
The Trans Sports Ban Cases Are Bigger Than Just Sports
The Supreme Court has heard two cases on transgender women and girl’s ability to participate in school sports after states have issued categorical bans on trans women playing on sports teams that match their gender identity. Madiba Dennie , author of The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back and Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes, sits down to talk with us about these cases as part of the broad, comprehensive attacks on trans people’s health and wellbeing. The Supreme Court justified this discriminatory decision against trans women and girls by arguing that the state cases don't turn on transgender status, but on sex alone—a step toward defining transgender people out of existence. It isn’t just sports and it isn’t just bathrooms; birth certificates, driver's licenses, freedom of travel, ability to work, ability to have healthcare, and ability to learn basic information in schools are all interconnected. The U.S. is also exporting this philosophy abroad through the expanded Global Gag Rule . For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Bonus Pod: Hannah’s Abortion Story
This week’s special bonus pod features the abortion story of Hannah, a full-spectrum doula, an abortion doula, a childbirth educator, and a social worker. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Proposed Changes Would Dramatically Alter the Title X Program
The Title X Family Planning Program was created in 1970 to fund reproductive health and contraceptive services and remains the federal government’s only dedicated source of family planning funding. Since his first term in office, Trump and his administration have repeatedly targeted the Title X Program, most recently by changing the application process for funding. Clare Coleman , President and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), joins us to talk about what the latest funding announcement means for Title X and its grant recipients, and the lawsuit that NFPRHA, the ACLU, and FHCCP are pursuing against the Trump administration’s blatant contradiction of the Title X statute. Title X-funded programs provide contraceptive services, STI and pregnancy testing, and other crucial preventative and reproductive health services. The new funding announcement changes the process of applying for Title X grants, undermining Title X’s statutory mission by giving political appointees the power to decide who even gets considered for funding. This politicization of family planning resources promotes the President’s narrow agenda and poses a threat to the millions who rely on Title X-funded clinics and resources. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Pregnant People Deserve Safe Care; Doctors Deserve to Provide It
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal law that protects the right to emergency healthcare, including abortion. There has been, post- Dobbs , a clash between these federal protections and states with abortion bans. Amani Echols , Senior Policy Analyst for Maternal Health at the National Partnership for Women and Families and Ashley Kurzweil , Senior Policy Analyst for Reproductive Health and Rights at the National Partnership for Women and Families, sit down to talk with us about this unleashing of chaos and confusion around whether and when emergency abortion care is permitted. In many states, patient health must deteriorate to an extremely risky state before qualifying for the “health exceptions” to abortion bans that are in place. In addition, hospital closures are occurring around the country after Trump’s recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), and for those who have emergencies in rural communities, that is extremely dangerous. For women of color who often experience dismissal or de-prioritization in medical settings, the pain, stress, and complications are often exacerbated. Abortion restrictions will no doubt worsen the maternal health crisis in the United States, which has the highest rate of maternal deaths of any other high-income nation. Black and Indigenous women are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts and are even more likely to experience morbidity or severe maternal morbidity related to their pregnancy. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
The Fight to Protect Medication Abortion and Telehealth Continues
The most recent numbers show that two-thirds of abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions, while 29 percent of all U.S. abortions were telehealth medication abortions. Dr. Angel Foster , researcher at the University of Ottawa in the Faculty of Health Sciences, global abortion researcher, and co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project (MAP) sits down to talk with us about the work that MAP performs and the importance of shield laws for reproductive health care and gender-affirming care. Mifepristone, the first of two medications that people will take during a medication abortion, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000. Decades of evidence shows its safety and effectiveness. Access to the two-drug regimen increased significantly via telehealth during the pandemic, which required a new regulatory framework in 2023. MAP, through state shield law protections, allows licensed Massachusetts clinicians to prescribe medication abortion to those anywhere in the country, regardless of the legal status of abortion in their state. This year, the Fifth-Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that would prevent providers from sending medication abortion through the mail—thankfully, MAP was able to shift to a misoprostol-only regimen (also safe and effective)—but the mass confusion had been immediately impactful. As of now, a stay has been issued to halt this decision by the Fifth Circuit. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Bonus Pod: Moving the Needle with Art and Activism
Art and activism intersect! Shannon Downey , full-time art activist, author, and educator, sits down to talk with us about art and activism and her new activism handbook for artists, crafters, and creators, Let’s Move the Needle , providing a how-to manual for using artistic skills to contribute to community building. Shannon learned how to cross stitch as a child. As an adult, doing work around gun violence and immigrant rights, Shannon leaned on cross stitch during moments when she felt politically fatigued. When she participated in a weekend art show that fundraised $5,000 dollars for art classes for survivors of gun violence, the intersection and importance between art and activism became very clear. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Anti-Abortion Violence and Disruption is on the Rise
Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade . Brittany Fonteno , President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and the National Abortion Hotline, sits down to talk with us about NAF’s new report, which shows a marked uptick in anti-abortion violence in the years since Roe’s overturning. The Roe decision came down in 1973. NAF was formed in 1977 and began tracking violence and disruption against independent abortion providers, Planned Parenthood affiliates, hospitals, and individual providers that very same year. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act was passed on bipartisan lines in 1994 to combat harassment, violence, blockading, and threats in front of abortion clinics. But in his first few weeks in office this term, Trump pardoned nearly two dozen anti-abortion extremists and has set aside a $2 billion fund-- partly to protect those who violate the FACE Act-- from legal consequences. There is still in-person harassment outside of clinics, but rates of online harassment, death threats to providers, and harassment rooted in racism and xenophobia have skyrocketed in recent years. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism
Pronatalism is an ideology, cultural orientation, and emerging policy framework promoting higher birthrates by framing reproduction as a social duty or moral good. Oftentimes, pronatalism can emphasize certain gender roles and can be rooted in extreme nationalism and patriarchal ideals. Varina Winder , the former Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State and co-founder of the ARCH Collaborative, sits down to talk with us about the ways in which pronatalist ideology is present in the U.S. and what a true pro-family vision should look like. Increasingly, pronatalism is being driven by governments. The Trump administration, for example, have been manipulating language to advance pronatalist ideology, including describing American women as “under babied” and referring to the expansion of the Global Gag Rule as the “Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance” Act. Government restrictions and cultural interventions are the tools used for pronatalism, and the language (often rooted in a low-fertility and birthrate “crisis”) global administrations use support these tools. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Grace Howard on Her New Book: The Pregnancy Police: Conceiving Crime, Arresting Personhood
Telling pregnant people what to do and enforcing pregnancy criminalization has been a decades-long threat. Dr. Grace Howard sits down with us to discuss her new book, which “traces the long history of state attempts to regulate and control people who have the capacity for pregnancy--from the early twentieth century's white supremacist eugenics to the end of Roe and the ever-increasing criminalization of abortion across the United States.” For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
The DOJ is Targeting Federal Prosecutors Who Enforced the FACE Act
The ability to control your body and when, how, and if you get pregnant and raise children is a fundamental freedom that should be recognized by the law. Skye Perryman , President and CEO of Democracy Forward, sits down to talk with us about the direct connection between the opportunities and support that women and girls have and the strengths of democracies, and how the U.S. (among other countries) is clearly experiencing a democratic backslide. The FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act was passed in the early 1990s with bipartisan support. The law was put in place to address a surge in violence and harassment, targeting, and blockading of reproductive health care clinics. The Trump administration has consistently misrepresented and threatened the FACE Act, including going after litigators who prosecuted under FACE Act violations. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has put together a 900-page report intended to discredit prosecutors and civil servants and to create a narrative to justify those facing being fired by the department. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Everyone Loves Someone Who Had an Abortion: Abortion Storytellers Part 4
We repeat: your reason is the right reason. For this incredibly special part four of our storytellers podcast series, tune in to hear the abortion stories of Candace and Trenece -- abortion storytellers from We Testify. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
The Fight for Nationwide Access to Medication Abortion
Need a breakdown of the recent ruling on nationwide mifepristone access at the Supreme Court? Imani Gandy , Executive Producer, Legal Content & Culture with Rewire News Group, co-host of podcast Boom! Lawyered and host of podcast B*tch Listen and Jessica Mason Pieklo , Executive Producer, Legal Content & Advocacy with Rewire News Group and co-host of podcast Boom! Lawyered have got you covered. In 2024, the state of Louisiana sued the Food and Drug Administration over a rule change from 2023 that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed and dispensed remotely. Previously, the agency had required the pill to be dispensed in-person at a clinic or other health facility. On May 1, 2026, the FDA’s rule was temporarily blocked, restricting mifepristone access nationwide. Emergency petitions were filed with the Supreme Court the next day, and on May 4, the stay was applied to the block until May 11. On May 14th, the Supreme Court continued to allow patients to access mifepristone. On Mother’s Day, a website for new and expectant mothers called moms.gov dropped, pushing pro-natalist, eugenicist propaganda. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Everyone Loves Someone Who Had an Abortion: Abortion Storytellers Part 3
Your reason is the right reason. For this incredibly special part three of our storytellers podcast series, tune in to hear the abortion stories of Dr. Brendane A. Tynes and Kiah-- abortion storytellers from We Testify. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
You May Also Like: Disrupting Peace
This week, we're bringing you a special feed drop from Disrupting Peace, a podcast from the World Peace Foundation, which explores why peace hasn’t worked, and how it still could. In each episode, Bridget Conley, research director at the World Peace Foundation, speaks with a researcher specializing in one obstacle to peace, and an activist who’s changing systems from the ground up. Together they explore what worked, what didn’t, and why we shouldn’t give up. This episode focuses on Iceland, the country ranked number one for gender equality for 15 years in a row. The episodes explores what makes Iceland unique, how younger generations are pushing the feminist agenda forward, and why limiting freedom around parental leave has increased equality in this volcanic, Nordic country. Access the Disrupting Peace podcast here: https://pod.link/1759500826 For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Abortion, Crisis Pregnancy Centers, and What Else to Watch in Indiana
Indiana was the first state to sign, pass, and enforce an abortion ban after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, which went into effect in 2023 (Missouri saw immediate enforcement via a trigger ban). Now, almost everyone must leave the state to access an abortion. Forest Beeley , Program Director for All Options, which runs Indiana’s singular abortion fund, sits down to talk with us about Indiana’s current sexual and reproductive health and rights landscape. Reproductive healthcare and abortion in Indiana face an uphill battle. Title X clinics in the state of Indiana face increased limitations on what information they can provide, but they are there to see patients, nonetheless. The state has a Planned Parenthood affiliate, but two centers in Indianapolis are currently closing due to federal Medicaid cuts. Crisis pregnancy centers , (CPCs) or fake clinics, are extremely common in Indiana and across the U.S. Ultrasounds are performed by non-medical personnel, they are not bound by HIPPA, and abortion is often not offered as an option for care. Abortion funds need your support to continue providing on-the-ground services and resources to those seeking an abortion and to steer clear of harmful CPCs. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Care and Coverage: The Importance of Doulas and Medicaid in the U.S.
Doulas, a non-medical birth professional, provide emotional, physical and social support and guidance through different aspects of sexual and reproductive health-- including labor and delivery, the prenatal and postpartum period, and during abortion care, miscarriage, or stillbirth. Amy Chen , Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program, sits down to talk with us about the importance and benefits of doulas, Medicaid coverage of this care, and the challenges the U.S. faces in getting closer to a more supported, equitable birthing reality. Benefits of doula care include lower rates of low-birth-weight babies, lower rates of cesarian delivery, and higher rates of breastfeeding initiation. Doulas can also help reduce racial disparities in care, particularly for those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). One of the core goals of increasing doula care surrounds the current Black maternal health crisis in the United States; doulas can provide support and act as an advocate when a patient faces individual, structural, or institutional racism. States, health plans, and employers have shown increasing interest in expanding and implementing access to doula care. Across the country, Medicaid covers close to half of all births. Over the past five years, 25 states and Washington D.C. have implemented Medicaid coverage of doulas, with half a dozen states in the process of implementation. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Who Gets to Define "Family" is Political
“Family values” brings up a very specific image rooted in the narrow idea of what a family is—such as a white, heterosexual marriage with children and a picket fence. But this image leaves out a lot of people, and so many families do not look like the image of the “nuclear” family that is often uplifted. Preston Mitchum , attorney, advocate, activist, and sometimes-reality-tv-personality, sits down to talk with us about conservative definitions of “family” and “family values“ and how those concepts shift into real, harmful policy. Religion, tradition, power, and national identity tie closely into conservative interpretations of “family values.” This excludes nontraditional households, the LGBTQI+ community, and many more people, and ascribes political power to that exclusion. Housing, reproduction, immigration protection, marriage access, and adoption access are policy indicators that often do not reflect lived experiences for families and ultimately expose people to further marginalization. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
Violent Rhetoric Against Women Turns into Policy
Across the spectrum, there are escalating attacks on women’s rights and freedoms, including attacks on the abortion pill, birth control, women’s suffrage, no fault divorce, higher education, and more. Courtney Hagle , Research Director at Media Matters for America, sits down to talk with us about the not new, but increasingly violent, rhetoric against women. Attacks on abortion, birth control, sex education, and the LGBTQI+ community—both rhetorically and politically—have been increasing drastically. These attacks are often rooted in core values of religious extremism and protecting the nuclear family. The anti-abortion movement and media is seeking to hitch their wagon to the MAHA movement, (Make America Healthy Again) claiming that the abortion pill and the birth control pill have detrimental health and environmental side effects. For more information, check out That Aged Well: https://pod.link/1446333312 Support the show Follow Us on Social : Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfb Facebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Buy rePROs Merch: Bonfire store Email us : jennie@reprosfightback.com Rate and Review on Apple Podcast Thanks for listening & keep fighting back!
