This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNWC Studios and The New Yorker.

Welcome to The New Yorker Radio Hour, I'm David Remnick.

The Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs case didn't come as any surprise.

In fact, given the draft opinion that was leaked in May, overturning Roe v Wade was nearly

a certainty.

But the effects have been rapid and chaotic. In some states, abortions stopped overnight.

In others, there's confusion about what kinds of maternal care might now be potentially

criminal.

And the response from Democrats in Washington struck many supporters of abortion rights as

painfully inadequate.

Geotolentino and Stephanie Atela Dread have both reported extensively on the issue.

They spoke this week with New Yorker senior editor Tyler Foggett on the podcast Politics

and More.

Stephanie had returned from the state of Texas, where she was in an abortion clinic in Houston

exactly when the Dobbs decision was announced.

The decision came shortly after 9am and several members of the staff were kind of huddled

in the front desk area.

And the reactions were dramatic.

I mean, people started crying. People were just in complete disbelief of what was happening.

And then at some point, a patient comes up to the clinic director and says, you know,

why are you all crying?

And then she kind of had to put herself together and swipe her way her tears and go up to the

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