This summer, the Supreme Court severely undermined the ability to access abortion in the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. People who live in states where abortion is banned are now forced to travel to access abortion care or forced to carry their pregnancy to term. This is a gross violation of human rights, and strikes a blow to values of privacy, individual agency, bodily autonomy, and equitable access to health care. The impacts of this decision will reverberate across the country, but they will not be felt equally. Black, Indigenous, and people of color, those with low incomes, young people, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQI+ community will bear a disproportionate burden of this decision. Unfortunately, the impacts of that decision will not stop at our borders; the Dobbs decision will also have impacts globally.
For the past four plus years, the rePROs Fight Back podcast has been committed to discussing issues related to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. Still, at this moment of extreme attacks on SRHRJ, simply producing a podcast is not enough. The fight to guarantee our bodily autonomy, ensure our human rights, and decide our futures requires a doubling down on our commitment to SRHRJ for everyone– no matter who they are or where they live.
We are excited to announce that the rePROs Fight Back podcast is growing. In addition to the podcast, rePROs will expand to include education and advocacy efforts on global and domestic SRHRJ issues through resources and additional ways to take action.
In announcing the expansion of rePROs Fight Back Jennie Wetter, Director and Host of rePROs Fight Back, said:
“Creating and hosting rePROs Fight Back has been a dream. I am so excited to see this dream grow into something bigger and better. I am so proud of all of the work our team has done and grateful for all of the support from the Population Institute to grow rePROs Fight Back into an initiative that will solely focus on sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice. At this moment we know what’s at stake and it is imperative we are telling the full sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice story to ensure everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, is able to exercise their full bodily autonomy and their sexual and reproductive health, and rights, in order to build a more just future for all.”
“The Population Institute is more committed than ever to our mission of promoting universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights,” said Kathleen Mogelgaard, President and CEO of Population Institute. “We know that escalating attacks on reproductive and bodily autonomy at home have reverberations around the world. It’s time for us to expand the hard-hitting work of the rePROs Fight Back podcast into a full-fledged initiative, and I’m confident that under Jennie’s leadership, rePROs Fight Back can become an even more powerful force for change.”
A more just future for all requires that everyone– no matter their income, zip code, sexual orientation, gender identity, and immigration status– freely exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Thank you all for joining us in this fight.