The Access: Pregnancy Post Roe

Anti-abortion legislators and groups have claimed for years that they do not have any interest in seeing women arrested for abortion.  However, when we look at history, some women have been arrested and prosecuted. Those cases were rare, but since the Dobbs decision in June 2022, approximately 20% of U.S. states have seen legislative attempts to create laws that would allow for the criminal prosecution of the pregnant person for having an abortion.

Representative Kat Cammack of Florida’s 3rd district has spent the last decade in politics. Over this time she has voted consistently for anti-abortion laws in her state over her tenure as a congresswoman. She voted for and was the lead sponsor for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in 2021 and 2023. She also has been co-chair for the House Pro-Life Caucus which promotes anti-abortion legislation. In May 2025, Kat Cammack had complications with an ectopic pregnancy. Her healthcare providers delayed care due to the laws that Cammack has voted for.   The Florida abortion ban uses broad language defining abortion as ending a pregnancy in any way other than birth. This kind of definition leaves room for the criminalization of ectopic pregnancy treatment, forcing health providers and administrators to tread carefully.  The text of anti-abortion legislation is vague and often does not include explicit exceptions, for treatment of ectopic pregnancy or other medical emergencies, but it carries significant penalties such as felony charges or loss of medical license.

When Adriana Smith went to the hospital, complaining of headaches, she was given some medicine and sent home. Just one day later, her boyfriend would discover her struggling to breathe. Adriana was admitted to the hospital, and several blood clots were discovered in her brain; she was declared brain dead. Adriana was 9 weeks pregnant at this time, and due to Georgia's Heartbeat Abortion Law, doctors and medical staff felt they needed to keep her on life support to incubate her fetus.  This is the story of Adriana, a nurse, mother, sister, daughter, and girlfriend. Adriana, who became brain dead in February of 2025, was kept on life support due to the fetal cardiac activity. Her case created a medical ethics controversy that has sparked a nationwide discussion about restrictive abortion care and end-of-life care.  Adriana's GoFundMe Link: https://gofund.me/aade5ceb7  

Crisis Pregnancy Centers or Maternal Wellness Centers are a unique and disconcerting hybrid of anti-choice activism, religious propagandism, and pseudo-medical practice. They are fundamentally unethical and undermine the respect for human life that they claim to protect. The government faces significant barriers to implementing regulations for CPCs. As states across the country threaten to severely restrict, and in some cases eliminate access to abortion, efforts to limit the influence of CPCs will become vital. There are a lot of CPCs in the United States. Here are some websites you can utilize to see what clinics near you are Crisis Pregnancy Centers or legitimate health clinics.  www.exposefakeclinics.com www.crisispregnancycentermap.com    

What happens when constituents vote to approve abortion rights, yet their elected officials are “pro-life” or anti-abortion themselves?  This episode dives into how Republicans go against the majority of their voters on abortion rights. Voter-approved ballot initiatives represent the direct expression of the people's preferences. When politicians seek to overturn or weaken these measures, it can be seen as a direct challenge to the democratic process.