The Scandalous Prehistory of Today's Abortion Debate

October 1, 2024
Hosted by Christine Erickson

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Guest Information

Episode Description

Reproductive healthcare remains a divisive issue in the United States, and once again, abortion is on the ballot in an election nearly one month away. In 2022, the Dobbs Decision took away the constitutional right to privacy and bodily autonomy and gave states increased rights to limit and even outlaw abortions. (Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Supreme Court Decision) The impact of this decision on women and girls resulted in forced births, preventable deaths, and legal prosecution for experiencing miscarriages and crossing state lines to seek necessary reproductive healthcare services. Due to the ever-present need for urgent response to these life-threatening and often life-ending policies, historical perspectives of women’s reproductive healthcare may not always be at the forefront of the abortion debate. Today will learn from the life of a prominent 19th-century icon who offered reproductive healthcare services to women for forty years. Nicholas Syrett has written a brilliant portrayal of one of the most famous abortionists of this time in his book, “The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime” (The New Press 2023). Nicholas will share the profundity of her work amidst the scandals and consequences of the time. We will also discuss how this relates to the current state of women’s reproductive rights.

New Legacy Radio

Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel

New Legacy Radio (NLR) is a social justice platform that amplifies the experiences, perspectives, and contributions of people without children. The show also navigates the multigenerational and intergenerational impact of social and systemic discrimination based on personal reproductive and relationship experiences. In conversation with diverse guests, who have lived experience, and allies, we discuss how these constructs relate to basic human rights, the natural world, global priorities, transnational relationships, and beyond. NLR is brought to you by New Legacy Institute (NLI), the first global policy institute to advocate for the rights of people who do not have children and policy without pronatalism. New Legacy Radio airs live on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel every Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific Time. Listen live and on-demand: https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/4062

Christine Erickson

Christine J. Erickson (she/her) is the founder of New Legacy Institute (NLI), the only institute focused on the global imposition and real-world impact of pronatalist constructs and policy, and the demographic of people who do not have children. The Institute advocates for equal individual protections across reproductive and relationship experiences, as an urgent, foundational change to social policy. Christine is an experienced leadership advisor, social entrepreneur and policy advocate with vast and diverse global experience. She has an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.



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