Body & State

Idaho is one of the most conservative states in the country with one of the strictest abortion laws. But this election, voters there will get a chance to vote on a ballot measure that would expand abortion rights. We spoke with Republican State Senator Camille Blaylock about her opposition to the initiative and the state of reproductive healthcare in Idaho.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR:How Idaho's abortion ban reshaped reproductive care and fueled a fight for change

Today Idaho has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country. And since it went into place, the state has seen OBGYNs leave and maternity wards close. This election year, a citizen-led group put together a ballot measure that will restore some abortion rights in the state. Sarah speaks with their executive director, Melanie Folwell, about the impact of Idaho’s near-total abortion ban and their fight to bring back reproductive rights.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR:https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-idahos-abortion-ban-reshaped-reproductive-care-and-fueled-a-fight-for-change 
 

Today in the United States, more than 65 percent of abortions are medication abortions. One reason so many American women have been able to access abortion pills over the last few years is because of the work of Dr. Rebecca Gomperts. She is a senior researcher at Leiden Medical University where she recently conducted a trial to evaluate if the abortion drug Mifepristone could be used as a weekly contraceptive. We sat down with her in Amsterdam to talk about potential uses for Mifepristone and the morning-after pill, Ulipristal Acetate, beyond abortion and contraception.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: How abortion politics is blocking progress in women's healthcare
 

For more than 25 years the drug, Mifepristone, has been approved for abortion in the United States. But Mifepristone and a similar drug- used as a morning-after pill- have also been proven to treat common women’s health conditions like uterine fibroids and endometriosis. They’re also the target of anti-abortion groups in the United States. Sarah sits down with Dr. Abby Liberty at Oregon Health and Science University to discuss the possible uses for these drugs and how difficult it is to research their potential in the United States today.
WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-abortion-drug-restrictions-make-it-harder-to-treat-other-conditions 
READ: Carrie Baker’s series for Ms. Magazine Mifepristone: “The Moral Property of Women”https://msmagazine.com/tag/the-moral-property-of-women-series/ 

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