Body & State

In Texas, OB-GYNs have been on the front lines of navigating abortion restrictions long before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade four years ago. Sarah sat down with Houston physician, Dr. Anitra Beasley, to see how her ability to practice medicine has changed over the years and her concerns for the future.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-doctors-say-abortion-bans-are-worsening-medical-care-during-miscarriages 
 

When the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, physicians around the country worried about what that decision would mean for their patients who could get pregnant and their own ability to help those women. But a few, including Dr. Christina Francis, welcomed the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the state laws that followed, restricting access to abortion. We spoke with Dr. Francis, an OB-GYN in Indiana, who takes care of women in labor at a hospital in Fort Wayne. She is also CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-doctors-say-abortion-bans-are-worsening-medical-care-during-miscarriages

In the four years since Kentucky’s abortion ban went into effect, doctors in the state say the law is having a devastating impact on their patients. But it’s also having a deep professional and personal impact on Kentucky’s physicians. We speak to Dr. Alecia Fields, an OB-GYN who serves a rural community in Southern Kentucky.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-doctors-say-abortion-bans-are-worsening-medical-care-during-miscarriages

Chelsea Stovall is a 35-year-old mother of two, who works as a cook at a daycare in Fayetteville, Arkansas. When she was pregnant with her third child four years ago, having an abortion never crossed her mind. But after finding out that her daughter would have less than a 1 percent chance of surviving the pregnancy, Chelsea’s opinion on abortion began to shift. We sat down with Chelsea to discuss how her experience changed her views on abortion.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: 
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-a-pregnancy-complication-reshaped-an-arkansas-womans-view-of-abortion-bans 

A majority of Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. But there is a growing gap between men and women on this issue. Even among Generation Z, 75 percent of women want abortion to be legal, while 59 percent of men do. I sat down with sociologist and author Tricia Bruce to discuss what’s behind this gap.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: 
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/gen-z-men-and-women-on-why-theyre-sharply-divided-over-reproductive-rights 

Generation Z has witnessed some of the biggest social changes in American history: gay marriage legalization, the MeToo movement and the fight for transgender equality. And as young Americans are becoming adults in this new reality, there is a growing gender gap on issues like marriage, children, and abortion. I sat down with demographer Ryan Burge to discuss what is helping shape Gen Z’s views today.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/gen-z-men-and-women-on-why-theyre-sharply-divided-over-reproductive-rights

For decades the Catholic Church has placed restrictions on certain reproductive health services at Catholic-run hospitals. The Ethical and Religious Directives lay out 77 rules for providing health care in the U.S., all based on the church’s theological and moral beliefs. But critics say these rules can run afoul of needed, emergency reproductive healthcare, especially in places where a Catholic-run hospital is the only option.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: Religious directives at Catholic hospitals complicate emergency care for pregnant women https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/religious-directives-at-catholic-hospitals-complicate-emergency-care-for-pregnant-women

In 2024, California chiropractor Anna Nusslock was pregnant with twins. But 15 weeks into her pregnancy, she found out the twins would not survive. And Anna was told she could not get an abortion, because she was being cared for at a Catholic hospital. Sarah sat down with Anna at her home in rural Eureka, California to talk about her fight to access abortion care in a state that right is protected, but in an area where that kind of care is not always easy.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: Religious directives at Catholic hospitals complicate emergency care for pregnant women https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/religious-directives-at-catholic-hospitals-complicate-emergency-care-for-pregnant-women

Across the country, crisis pregnancy centers offer free services to women, things like ultrasounds and pregnancy testing. For some pregnant people, getting care through these centers is the only affordable option, but many are unaware that they do not offer abortions and are often unregulated and unlicensed. In Texas, there are around 200 crisis pregnancy centers, the most of any state. And tens of millions of taxpayer dollars go to these groups each year. Over a decade ago, Maleeha Aziz became pregnant as a college student and went to one of these centers by mistake.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: Rise of crisis pregnancy centers highlights shift in anti-abortion movement https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/rise-of-crisis-pregnancy-centers-highlights-shift-in-anti-abortion-movement 

The state of Missouri is home to around 90 crisis pregnancy centers. These primarily faith-based organizations offer resources to pregnant women to steer them away from abortion. The nonprofit Coalition Life runs one of these centers out of their offices in the St. Louis suburbs. I talked to founder and executive director, Brian Westbrook, about how they operate, where they fit into the anti-abortion movement and the criticisms of CPCs around the country.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: Rise of crisis pregnancy centers highlights shift in anti-abortion movement https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/rise-of-crisis-pregnancy-centers-highlights-shift-in-anti-abortion-movement