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Reproductive Rights Deep Dives
Americans Support Abortion. It’s Time We Acted Like It. Jessica Valenti on Today’s Fight on My Body. My Pod. Episode 14
Abortion is a winning issue. Abortion bans are not. From medication abortion attacks to messaging failures, here’s what’s shaping the fight for reproductive freedom right now.
Watch & Listen
Voters support abortion, so how are anti-abortion extremists still managing to chip away at our rights? And why are some people—even on our side—still treating reproductive freedom as if it’s negotiable?
In the latest episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with journalist, author, and Abortion, Every Day founder Jessica Valenti to unpack the disconnect between what voters believe and what’s actually happening in our politics, our media, and our culture.
About Jessica Valenti
Jessica Valenti is a writer, activist, and one of the country’s most influential voices on gender and politics. The award-winning author of eight books—including the New York Times bestseller “Abortion”—she has shaped the national conversation on feminism for over two decades.
Jessica’s groundbreaking anthology “Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape” helped define the modern definition of consent and paved the way for legislation of the same name. She is also widely credited with sparking feminism’s online wave as the founder of the trailblazing blog Feministing.
A former columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, Jessica’s sharp, uncompromising analysis has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and on media outlets from CNN to The Daily Show. She speaks at colleges and organizations nationwide about feminism, abortion, and sexual violence.
After the fall of Roe, Jessica founded “Abortion, Every Day,” an urgent synthesis of anything and everything happening with abortion rights in the United States. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
Connect with Jessica Valenti:
- Subscribe to “Abortion, Every Day” on Substack
- Get 10% off “Abortion. Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win.” with code VALENTI10
- Follow on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Bluesky
🔍 A Closer Look: The Abortion Misinformation Machine Is Working Exactly as Designed
“Their movement has always been based on not just ending abortion, but ending rights for women in general… forcing women out of the public sphere back into the home,” says Valenti. “That’s always been the point.”
Mini and Jessica dive into some of the attacks on reproductive freedom today:
- Mifepristone under coordinated attack as a means to ban abortion nationwide: from court cases and an FDA review based on junk science, legislation written by anti-abortion extremist groups, and more
- Propaganda and culture wars: The anti-abortion movement is pushing for junk science videos to be shared in classrooms, and making absurd environmental claims about abortion pills
- State laws that set a dangerous precedent for surveillance, and a foundation for blocking birth control
These efforts are the result of decades-long, coordinated, nefarious efforts by bad actors to ban abortion nationwide.
And, despite overwhelming evidence that abortion is a winning issue, there are still voices on the left arguing for compromise, moderation, or silence.
Valenti doesn’t mince words:
“Abortion is an incredibly popular issue. And the fact that we still have men seemingly on our side… pushing this idea that candidates need to be more moderate or move to the right is so absurd.”
At best, it’s outdated political thinking. At worst, it’s misogyny:
“It’s hard not to see it as… a deep disinterest in any issue that has to do with women.”
The fact is, people are dying as a result of abortion bans. Even Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion extremists know how unpopular their ideas are.
If we already know abortion is a winning issue, what are we going to do with that? As Mini puts it:
“If Democrats don’t understand how to capitalize and take this anger and turn it into lasting, effective policy solutions, it’s a moral failure and a political failure.”
Key Takeaway: This Is a Freedom Issue—And Voters Know It
One of the clearest takeaways from this conversation: People believe in privacy, bodily autonomy, the right to make personal decisions without government interference, and freedom to decide our futures.
That’s why abortion rights continue to win at the ballot box, and why we continue to fight to protect and expand reproductive freedom, elect champions, and hold our elected officials accountable.
3 Ways to Take Action Now
Quiz: How much do you know about the abortion pill—really?
Extremists have launched a coordinated attack on mifepristone—a safe and effective medication. Can you separate fact from fiction? Take our quiz to find out!
Spread the Word: Mifepristone is Safe and Effective
Share our social media toolkit with your family and friends and spread the truth that mifepristone is safe and effective.
🤿 Dive Deeper into the Details
The Court Cases Targeting Mifepristone/Medication Abortion (dropdown)
Anti-abortion extremists are attacking access to medication abortion any way they can—including by pushing baseless court cases to ban or severely restrict mifepristone, a medication used in the majority of abortion care in the U.S.
How Much Do You Know About Mifepristone (aka the Abortion Pill)?
Mifepristone, commonly referred to as an ‘abortion pill,’ is widely used for abortion care and miscarriage management and is a critical part of reproductive freedom. But how much of what you’ve heard is fact vs. fiction?
Absurd Environmental Disinformation Enters the Chat
In 2025, several states pushed claims that abortion pills are polluting water systems, proposing:
- “Catch kits”
- Wastewater testing
- Environmental reporting tied specifically to mifepristone
There’s zero scientific evidence behind this. It’s a new strategy to restrict abortion by disguising bans as “environmental protection.”
State legislatures remain the front lines of abortion access. Read about the state laws that shaped reproductive freedom in 2025 in our deep dive.
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ABOUT THE PODCAST
MY BODY. MY POD. WITH MINI TIMMARAJU.
The fight for reproductive freedom is more urgent than ever.
That’s why we’re bringing you My Body. My Pod. with Mini Timmaraju, a reproductive freedom podcast.
If you’re into building a nationwide movement to protect and expand health justice, reproductive equity, and the power of people to control their own lives, this show is for you.
Hear from leaders and changemakers who share wisdom from the front lines, stories of the real struggles people are facing every day, and a vision for the future we’re determined to win.
Hosted by Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. Available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Reproductive Freedom for All is made up of members across the country who believe that everybody should be free to control their own bodies and lives—and we want you to be a part of it.
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Watch More Episodes
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NY AG Letitia James on Defending Abortion, Taking on Trump – My Body. My Pod. Episode 16
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Lawmakers Aren’t Doctors, So Why Are They Legislating Medicine? Dr. Jamila Perritt on the Harm of Abortion Bans on My Body. My Pod. Episode 15
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