217 Opening Up the Abortion Conversation

Today, I approach the subject of abortion with a (somewhat) open mind. I appreciate the fact that this is a divisive topic, and my hope is to relieve some of the pressure on the subject so that we can address the practical issues that are related to reproductive care. As someone who believes that it should a person’s choice whether or not they have a child, I am committed to taking action to maintain that choice, but I am open to listening to and understanding other’s opinions.

So in my attempt to keep an open mind, I share two TedxTalks by women who are holding space for non-divisive conversations around this subject. Staying true to my own need to keep fighting for the right to choose, I share a Ted Talk that gives hope and suggestions for what to do when Roe is overturned. Finally, I share Ted Talk that has nothing to do with abortion or reproductive rights, but it’s as a reminder that life is complicated, people are complicated and their stories are not single nor straightforward, so let’s keep an open mind as we have these discussions. Plus a little New Moon wisdom…

TedxTalk by Asha Dahya, Journalist and women’s rights activist; founder/editor of GirlTalkHQ.com, presents: “Reframing Reproductive Rights: Going Beyond Pro-Choice vs Pro Life” Asha shares her big idea surrounding what it would it look like if we took the most divisive topic in America and changed the narrative beyond pro-choice and pro-life?

Ted Talk The End of Roe v. Wade by Kathryn Kolbert, Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision protecting people’s right to have an abortion in the United States, will be overturned within a year, says reproductive rights attorney Kathryn Kolbert. In this electrifying call to action, she breaks down the systematic attack against reproductive freedom in the US and envisions what a post-Roe world could look like. “First, we’ve got to build a badass social justice movement,” she says.

And just for reference, TedxTalk by Pro-Life Feminist Deanna Wallace. (not listened to on the show)

TedxTalk about “wholelife” principles, the precursor to “pro-life” and what’s been left out of it today by Khadija Garrison Adams, former missionary, master storyteller and Black breastfeeding champion Khadija Garrison Adams talks about the ways that fear of pregnancy impacts people who aren’t unmarried young adults, unpacks how our understanding of the pro-life movement is based on a faulty version of its history and how it’s origin story is ripe for building a third way in the conversation – a way that could be led by a group ignored by pro-life and pro-choice champions – The Black Church.

TED Talk The Danger of a Single Story by novelist and author of We Should All Be Feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Maternal Mortality Stats

Stories for Choice from the TMI Project

And finally, here’s your Moon report.

Today’s show was engineered by Ian Seda of Radio Kingston.

Our show music is from Shana Falana !!!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

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#191 Therese Shechter “My So-Called Selfish Life”

On today’s show I share my conversation with Therese Shechter, award-winning filmmaker and writer, and the founder of the feminist production company Trixie Films.  Her work fuses humor, activism, and personal storytelling to disrupt what’s considered most sacred about womanhood. She is a Canada Council for the Arts grantee for her documentary My So-Called Selfish Life which is having its World Premier this week at the Woodstock Film Festival. The film examines what it means to say no to motherhood in a society that assumes all women want children, and exposes what’s at stake when women are denied the right to control their own reproductive lives. It is the third part of a trilogy which includes her films “How To Lose Your Virginity” (2013) and “I Was A Teenage Feminist” (2005). These documentaries have screened from Rio de Janeiro to Istanbul to Seoul, and her work is in the collections of over 300 universities, non-profits, and libraries. I had the opportunity of a sneak peak at her film and it’s fascinating, thought provoking, informative and entertaining… and this is coming from someone who has struggled to have children yet is STILL trying!

Woodstock Film Festival Showtimes and Locations:

World Premiere: Thursday, September 30 [4:45] PM at Bearsville Theater, Woodstock, NY

Encore Screening: Friday, October 1 [11:00] AM at Orpheum Theatre, Saugerties NY

Virtual Screenings: September 29-Oct 10 streaming online

Tickets: https://bit.ly/SelfishLifeWoodstock

Trailer: https://myselfishlife.com/

I played songs by Miss Eaves, and Fanny, but I don’t have the rights to them so you only get a sample here. BUT you can listen on my playlist instead! Check out the film, Fanny, the Right to Rock which you can stream via the Woodstock Film Festival.

And links to some of the work that Therese references in our conversation: Scarleteen and Hanne Blank’s Virgin, The Untouched History.

AND info about the “Bans Off Our Bodies: Rally in Defense of Abortion Rights” can be found here.

Today’s show was engineered by Ian Seda of Radio Kingston.

Our show music is from Shana Falana !!!

Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org

** Please: SUBSCRIBE to the pod and leave a REVIEW wherever you are listening, it helps other users FIND IT

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