Hi, this is Melissa and I just returned from Belfast where my son was competing in the 50th annual

World Irish Step Dance Championships. Or as I like to call them, River Dance Olympics.

This podcast was recorded at 156 pm on Thursday the 28th of April.

Things may have changed by the time you hear this, but I will still be hearing Irish Jigs in my head.

Okay, here's the show.

If it's the Armies, it isn't an Irish jig. I wish that you would record it some sound.

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics podcast. I'm Tamer Keith. I cover the White House and we've

got Sarah McCammon here. Hey Sarah. Hey Tam. Long time friend of the pod and Sarah, you cover abortion

and reproductive rights issues for NPR and today we are talking about the future of abortion access

in America. The Supreme Court is on the cusp of ruling in cases that could significantly weaken

the right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade or maybe even scrap it entirely. And Sarah,

states are already preparing because there hasn't been a major challenge heard by the high court

to Roe in a long time. Right. And there has been a lot of activity in state legislators.

Really the last few years as during the Trump administration as the balance of the court

started to move to the right. We saw a lot more legislative activity around abortion and

quite a lot this year as of mid-April according to the Gootmacher Institute research group that

supports abortion rights close to 2,000 bills were introduced nationwide in state legislatures.

Some of those related to expanding abortion rights, others related to restricting it.

Nine states passed restrictions, seven passed protective measures, but yes, a lot of activity

around this issue looking ahead to the Supreme Court decision, which I think most legal observers

expect to at minimum weaken the protections of Roe v. Wade and other precedent guaranteeing

abortion rights, if not overturn it altogether. So one state that has been really active is

...