Body & State

Idaho is one of the most conservative states in the country with one of the strictest abortion laws. But this election, voters there will get a chance to vote on a ballot measure that would expand abortion rights. We spoke with Republican State Senator Camille Blaylock about her opposition to the initiative and the state of reproductive healthcare in Idaho. WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: How Idaho's abortion ban reshaped reproductive care and fueled a fight for change

Today Idaho has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country. And since it went into place, the state has seen OBGYNs leave and maternity wards close. This election year, a citizen-led group put together a ballot measure that will restore some abortion rights in the state. Sarah speaks with their executive director, Melanie Folwell, about the impact of Idaho’s near-total abortion ban and their fight to bring back reproductive rights. WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-idahos-abortion-ban-reshaped-reproductive-care-and-fueled-a-fight-for-change   

Today in the United States, more than 65 percent of abortions are medication abortions. One reason so many American women have been able to access abortion pills over the last few years is because of the work of Dr. Rebecca Gomperts. She is a senior researcher at Leiden Medical University where she recently conducted a trial to evaluate if the abortion drug Mifepristone could be used as a weekly contraceptive. We sat down with her in Amsterdam to talk about potential uses for Mifepristone and the morning-after pill, Ulipristal Acetate, beyond abortion and contraception. WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: How abortion politics is blocking progress in women's healthcare  

For more than 25 years the drug, Mifepristone, has been approved for abortion in the United States. But Mifepristone and a similar drug- used as a morning-after pill- have also been proven to treat common women’s health conditions like uterine fibroids and endometriosis. They’re also the target of anti-abortion groups in the United States. Sarah sits down with Dr. Abby Liberty at Oregon Health and Science University to discuss the possible uses for these drugs and how difficult it is to research their potential in the United States today. WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-abortion-drug-restrictions-make-it-harder-to-treat-other-conditions  READ: Carrie Baker’s series for Ms. Magazine Mifepristone: “The Moral Property of Women” https://msmagazine.com/tag/the-moral-property-of-women-series/ 

In Texas, OB-GYNs have been on the front lines of navigating abortion restrictions long before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade four years ago. Sarah sat down with Houston physician, Dr. Anitra Beasley, to see how her ability to practice medicine has changed over the years and her concerns for the future. WATCH ON PBS NEWSHOUR: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-doctors-say-abortion-bans-are-worsening-medical-care-during-miscarriages