January 22nd, 1973: Before and After Roe v Wade
Sounds Like Impact: A newsletter for audio and action
Welcome to Sounds Like Impact!
I’m on vacation this week and initially hadn’t planned to send anything. But then I was reminded that the anniversary of Roe v. Wade is today, January 22nd. The case was first decided 52 years ago today.
Below I’ve compiled an abridged newsletter with three recommendations and three actions that relate to the history before Roe, and the aftermath of the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn it.
Read on…
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🎧 Listen & Watch 📺
Looking back:
Check out the documentary The Janes.
In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on the South Side of Chicago where seven women who were part of a clandestine network were arrested and charged. Using code names, fronts, and safe houses to protect themselves and their work, the accused had built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions. They called themselves "Jane."
Directed by Oscar-nominee Tia Lessin (HBO’s Trouble the Water) and Emmy-nominee Emma Pildes (HBO’s Jane Fonda in Five Acts), The Janes offers first-hand accounts from the women at the center of the group, many speaking on the record for the first time.
The Janes tells the story of a group of unlikely outlaws. Defying the state legislature that outlawed abortion, the Catholic Church that condemned it, and the Chicago Mob that was profiting from it, the members of Jane risked their personal and professional lives to help women in need. In the pre-Roe v. Wade era –– a time when abortion was a crime in most states and even circulating information about abortion was a felony in Illinois –– the Janes provided low-cost and free abortions to an estimated 11,000 women.
Reflecting and strategizing:
Check out the latest season of Natal, which actually includes an interview with one of the women featured in The Janes documentary, and another interview with Renee Bracey Sherman from The A-Files Podcast, whom we featured in this newsletter last year.
Our third season is a 4-part series featuring multiple pairs of Black reproductive justice advocates in intimate one-on-one conversations about their work creating liberatory pathways to care beyond the Supreme Court’s 2022 overruling of Roe v. Wade.
Adding to the reproductive health conversation:
Listen to Global Health Pursuit’s episode, “What If Men Could Take Birth Control? w/Heather Vahdat.”
In recent years, the conversation around contraception has predominantly focused on female methods, often leaving men with limited options such as condoms and vasectomy. However, an exciting shift is occurring in the realm of reproductive health, as male contraception takes center stage. Heather Vahdat, Executive Director at Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI), spoke with me about the promising advancements in male contraception and their potential impact on global health.
🚨 Calls to Action
Read: ”New Research Shows People Are Moving Out of Abortion-Banned States.” And as recommended multiple times before, subscribe to
for the latest news.Host: You can host a screening of Zurawski v. Texas, but also watch if you’ve never seen it.
Donate: Support an Abortion Fund. My personal strategy is to choose a fund in a place where there are a lot of restrictions.
🌟 Classifieds
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