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Science Vs

The Abortion Underground

Science Vs

Spotify Studios

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.412.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2022

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

REBROADCAST. The Supreme Court is set to rule on a major abortion case this year, and the court could decide to overturn Roe v. Wade. Already, places like Oklahoma, Texas and Idaho are rolling out major abortion restrictions. So today, we’re going back to the pre-Roe years, when one group of women got fed up and decided to take their health into their own hands. We talk to “self-helpers” Carol Downer and Francie Hornstein, who led a movement for safe abortions and education for women by women. Here’s the link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3v5d23E This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Editing help from Caitlin Kenney, Kaitlyn Sawrey, Sruthi Pinnamaneni, Jorge Just, Lulu Miller and Chris Neary. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Peter Leonard and Bumi Hidaka. Music by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Anny Celsi. Protest tape courtesy of Pacifica Radio Archives. A huge thanks to all the scientists we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr. Sara Matthiesen, Professor Verta Taylor, Professor John DeLancey, Professor Carole Joffe, Professor Johanna Schoen, and Dr. Denise Copelton. And special thanks to Michele Welsing and the team at Southern California Library, Dr. Becky Chalker, Jonathon Roberts, Jim Aspholm, Odelia Rubin, Alice Kors, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm Wendy Zuckerman, and you're listening to Science Verses from Gimlet.

0:04.1

Heads up.

0:05.0

This episode has some pretty graphic descriptions in it.

0:08.2

So take care if you're listening with little ones around.

0:12.0

The Oklahoma Legislature has approved a bill that would lead to a near total ban on abortions in the state.

0:18.5

Under the bill, those who perform abortions could face up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000

0:24.9

fine.

0:26.7

Just this week, Oklahoma passed a law banning basically all abortions, except to save the life

0:32.6

of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency.

0:36.2

It's the latest in a long line of U.S. states pumping out new rules to restrict abortions.

0:42.4

Several years ago, Mississippi made most abortions illegal after 15 weeks.

0:47.4

Then Texas banned abortions essentially after six weeks before some people even know they're

0:52.8

pregnant.

0:56.8

And now many more Republican-controlled states have been tightening up their abortion laws. South Carolina. Idaho. West Virginia.

1:02.1

Ohio. Georgia. So the question is, could Florida be next?

1:10.1

And this is all about to come to a head in the next few months.

1:13.3

It's expected that the Supreme Court, which now has a conservative majority,

1:17.3

will make its decision on whether the Mississippi law will stand.

1:21.1

And whether Roe v. Wade, the ruling that makes abortion legal across the U.S.,

1:26.0

will be overturned.

1:28.2

In the meantime, in Texas, where their abortion law is already in effect,

1:33.5

researchers are seeing more and more Texans traveling across state lines for abortions,

...

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