Extraordinary: The Fight for Reproductive Justice

You might have heard of Griswold v Connecticut, a major Supreme Court case from the 1950s … but do you know who “Griswold” was? We’d like you to meet Estelle—Estelle Griswold, and learn about her adventurous life as a singer, Parisian expat, WWII humanitarian, and mid-life medical student. All these experiences would prepare her for the work that made her legacy with Planned Parenthood and the Supreme Court. We explore the legacy o...

“Pregnant? Don’t want to be? Call Jane…” In Chicago in the 1960s, abortion was illegal and the Chicago mob was the only option. Until an underground collective, known as Jane, decided to step in. Filmmakers Emma Pildes and Tia Lesson discuss their HBO documentary, 'The Janes,' sharing insights into the bravery and activism of these ordinary people who helped thousands of women.  

02:02 Filmmakers Emma Pildes and Tia Le...

Dr. Willie Parker considers being a traveling abortion provider in the Deep South his life’s work and true calling. But as an OBGYN raised in a Black, Protestant community in Alabama, Dr. Willie Parker spent years dodging the issue of abortion entirely. It wasn’t hard to do. That is, until his hospital eliminated abortion care entirely, forcing him to choose between his dream job and his conscience.  Note: This episode in...

Plan B, also known as “the Morning-After Pill” isn't too different from The Pill itself … but it was decades before women could get it. We explore the roller coaster history of bringing emergency contraception to our pharmacy shelves with policy analyst Kirsten Moore, who was riding that roller coaster too. Loop the loop with us through literal truckloads of paperwork, meetings on Washington DC park benches, lawsuits, betrayals, co...

In our last episode, we learned how hard it was to get the FDA to approve Plan B for over-the-counter sales. Now we’ll meet four women who have made sure it is both affordable and accessible in their community. Andrea DeMaria is a public health researcher at Purdue University who leads study-abroad programs in Italy that focus on women’s reproductive health. She and her students wanted to replicate the pharmacy vending machines the...

We're back from our summer vacation! In this episode, we discuss recent news, including Kamala Harris's debate and the story of Amber Nicole Thurman, before meeting Emma Donnelly, a college student who took on the state of Maine. Where the Purdue students in our last episode had smooth sailing with the winds of administrative support at their backs, Emma found her campaign for campus vending machines dead on arrival thanks to a cen...

In this episode of Extra+Ordinary: The Fight for Reproductive Justice, host Carolyn Silveira interviews Mary Ziegler, a legal historian and expert on the American abortion debate. They explore the legal history of abortion from the 1800s to the present, and how it evolved along with changes in medical science, politics, and the Supreme Court.

00:00 Introduction to Extra+Ordinary Episode 7

00:52 Zooming Out: The Legal Perspective ...

In our first episode following the 2024 election, we reflect on what happened by turning again to this podcast's patron saint, Rebecca's Solnit. Carolyn shares Solnit’s message after the election, how it compares with her 2004 election analysis, and we get specific about the real wins abortion & reproductive rights made. We ground ourselves in the long timeline of history and emphasize that whatever part you choose to play in w...

When’s the last time you saw a movie or TV show with an abortion story? According to researcher Steph Herold, it’s probably more recently than you think! We discuss the surprisingly long history of abortion stories on screen, as well as how they impact our perceptions and politics. We’ll cover everything from ‘Sex & the City’ to 'Yellowstone,' ‘Knocked Up’ to 'BoJack Horseman'.  

See links & resources mentioned...

Neither Season 1 nor Season 2, this Spring mini-episode is here to say, Hey, yeah, I *know* ... it's been ... a lot. And also to recommend some really amazing shows to add to your feed while we keep cooking up Season 2.

Links & things mentioned:

Book club for How Fascism Works: https://rhymeschemes.substack.com/p/introducing-the-read-along-how-fascism

The Cramped podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id17781...

This week, I'm excited to introduce you to a new favorite show of mine: CRAMPED. Kate Helen Downey investigates the extreme period pain that she -- and millions of others -- have suffered from, with little to no help from medical science. And it's a delight to listen to.

You can find the whole series at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696 and https://katehelendowney.substack.com/