28 FEB

So Where Do We Go from Here?

Abortion bans, voter suppression, criminalization…the list of things standing between us and true reproductive justice can feel endless. So where do we go from here? What will success look like? (No, it’s not begging for Roe’s return!) In the season finale, Renee and Regina talk about what they’ve learned from this season’s guests, ideas about how to get involved, and give us all hope for the future—and listeners share ways to care for one another as we find freedom. Because: we will find freedom.

38 min

21 FEB

You Can’t Fix Abortion Without Voting Rights!

Ever wonder how a country where most people support abortion access keeps passing such ugly abortion bans? Renee and Regina have answers! And they promise to talk about gerrymandering without putting you to sleep. In this episode, they explain the link between voter suppression, racism and abortion bans—and then LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter joins us to explain what’s really happening across the country, and what we can all do about it. Plus, in There Are Other Books, we’re reading Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl González.

37 min

14 FEB

Pro-Choice, but Not Pro-Everybody?

Who gets left out of the national conversation about abortion? Two key groups: people with disabilities, and trans people. In this riveting episode, Renee and Regina get into why that is, and what it costs us. First, Kendall Ciesemier of the ACLU joins the conversation to talk about how the abortion debate has used disabled people as pawns; and then Cazembe Murphy Jackson of WeTestify highlights what the trans and repro rights movements really have in common. Plus, Renee and Regina talk about Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters in There Are Other Books!

41 min

7 FEB

The Other A Word: Adoption

Is adoption really the “solution” to unwanted pregnancies that anti-abortion and some pro-choice advocates say it is? (Spoiler: nope!) In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Gretchen Sisson joins Renee and Regina to explain the real relationship between adoption and abortion, and why we should put children and pregnant people, and not solely the needs of adoptive parents, first. She also joins Renee and Regina for a There Are Other Books segment on Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.

39 min

31 JAN

Love Abortion? Don’t Talk to Cops!

All around the country, people have been arrested and criminalized for trying to access abortion care. In this episode, Renee, Regina and special guest Rafa Kidvai of the Repro Legal Defense Fund talk about the devastating personal toll that anti-abortion extremists don’t want us to see. They break down how and why abortion criminalization happens, and some surprising rules for responding to it. Plus, in There Are Other Books, Renee and Regina discuss the novel An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.

40 min

24 JAN

Good States, Bad States? Not So Fast

Think so-called blue states, with Democratic lawmakers, are abortion safe havens? Pull up a chair and let’s talk. In this episode, Chelsea Williams-Diggs of the New York Abortion Access Fund joins Renee and Regina to talk about how even “liberal” governments need to do better for pregnant people. It’s all about the healthcare system, abortion funds, and the hidden realities of actually getting the abortion you need. And in a special edition of There Are Other Movies, Renee and Regina talk about Little Woods, a film directed by Nia DaCosta starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James.

42 min

17 JAN

Everyone Loves Someone Who’s Had an Abortion

Abortion stigma is so baked into our culture that even some pro-choice politicians won’t say the word. But Renee and Regina will! Abortion! In this episode, they sit down with Dr. Tracy Weitz to understand where the stigma comes from, why even popular slogans like “safe, legal, and rare” perpetuate it, and what a world without stigma would actually look like. (Plus, Renee explains how “everyone loves someone…” ended up on Saturday Night Live.) And in There Are Other Books, it’s all about the novel House of Cotton by Monica Brashears.

44 min

17 JAN

Unapologetic Blackness, Unapologetic Abortions

In their first episode, Renee and Regina take on some of the most common myths about abortion—and trace the relationship between anti-Blackness and abortion bans in the U.S., and how white supremacy helped get us into this mess we’re in. Plus, they talk about their own personal paths to reproductive justice, and introduce There Are Other Books, a segment about a book about abortion that isn’t The Handmaid’s Tale – this time, it’s Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

34 min

SEASON 1 TRAILER

Welcome to The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion

Everything you’ve been taught about abortion is wrong. And the real truth is fascinating, frustrating, and crucial to understand. In this series, Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone—reproductive justice experts and friends—unpack the hidden history of this very common practice, from ancient Greek methods to the anti-Black roots of abortion bans in the U.S. In each episode, some of the smartest people they know stop by to drop wisdom, and Renee and Regina start a book club for all of us. Enjoy, and remember: As Renee says, Everyone loves someone who’s had an abortion.

2 min

The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion

Episodes

So Where Do We Go from Here?

You Can’t Fix Abortion Without Voting Rights!

Pro-Choice, but Not Pro-Everybody?

The Other A Word: Adoption

Love Abortion? Don’t Talk to Cops!

Good States, Bad States? Not So Fast

Everyone Loves Someone Who’s Had an Abortion

Unapologetic Blackness, Unapologetic Abortions

Welcome to The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion

Trailer

Welcome to The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion

About

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