Where We Live: A Post-Roe World

How are the deep racial disparities in reproductive health care being addressed in light of Roe v. Wade’s overturning? Connecticut nurse-midwife, nurse educator and historian Dr. Lucinda Canty recently launched Lucinda's House, to help local women of color "become an active part in eliminating structural barriers to improve their overall health and well-being." This hour, we hear from Dr. Canty about this new effort, as well as her research on maternal morbidity. Her 2020 doctoral thesis was titled, "It's Not Always Rainbows and Unicorns: The Lived Experience of Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Black Women." Plus, journalist and author Linda Villarosa discusses her new book, Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation. "Black women are three to four times more likely to die or almost die" during childbirth, Villarosa explains. "A Black woman with a master's degree or more is more likely to have a poorer birth outcome than a white woman with an eighth grade education. So that speaks to something beyond even the place where you are, it speaks to something... happening to Black women, even across class lines." Villarosa stresses that while "it's important for every woman no matter who you are, to have the best health care, to demand that kind of health care, to be educated, to have someone like a doula or some other kind of birth partner with you... we can't just put this responsibility of raising our birth status of our country on the backs of individuals themselves, especially those who are pregnant... Instead, we have to advocate for changes in the system that make it more equitable." GUESTS: Dr. Lucinda Canty: Nurse-Midwife; Founder, Lucinda's House; Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of St. Joseph; Researcher and Historian; Reproductive Health Justice Activist; Artist; Poet Linda Villarosa:Author, Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation; Contributing Writer, The New York Times

In light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion, some companies are announcing their commitment to cover abortion care and travel costs for employees. But what other changes can we expect? Mike Golden, a corporate law expert, says we could start to see employers covering the cost of abortion care and provide childcare benefits as a competitive talent acquisition tool. Today,we explore the ways our workforce will change in coming years, and consider how companies will have to alter their employee benefits and health care plans in a post-Roe world. GUESTS Rachel Dowty Beech - Assistant Professor of Emergency Management and Coordinator of Masters Program in Emergency Management at University of New Haven Mike Golden - Lecturer and Director of Advocacy at The University of Texas School of Law and corporate employee law expert Isabela Burrows - employee at PetSmart in Michigan Beth Silvers - co-host "Pantsuit Politics" podcast and co-authored Now What? How to Move Forward When We’re Divided (About Basically Everything) Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.

A shortage of reproductive health professionals has resulted in wait times for some services in our state, including in-clinic abortions. Connecticut's "safe harbor" law expands the scope of care for advanced-practice clinicians to include procedural abortions, and is expected to lessen what is now up to a two-week wait. These clinicians are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), clinical-nurse midwives (CNMs) and physician's assistants (PAs). CNM and CEO and President of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England Amanda Skinner told the Connecticut Mirror she expects a "continued surge in patients" in the wake of the Dobbs decision. This hour, Skinner joins us to discuss the important role advanced-practice clinicians play in reproductive health care. At Planned Parenthood, these clinicians are primary care providers, she explains. Plus, Loren Fields is an advanced-practice nurse, educator and longtime member of Clinicians in Abortion Care, an arm of the National Abortion Federation. GUESTS: Amanda Skinner, CNM, MBA: CEO and President, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England Loren Fields, DNP, MSN, APRN: Clinician, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England; Lecturer in Nursing, Yale School of Nursing; Member and Former Advisory Committee Chair, Clinicians in Abortion Care Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.

In light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion, period tracking apps have been a new target of concern. But legal experts like Nora Benavidez say digital safety and the potential for "digital dragnets" are a broader concern "decades in the making." This hour, we hear about the ways digital privacy is at risk, and how personal data can be weaponized to prosecute people seeking abortions. Prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Electronic Frontier Foundation provided tips for protecting digital privacy in those cases. How can you be more diligent about your digital footprint? And what role do tech platforms and the federal government play? GUESTS: Nora Benavidez: Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights, FreePress Lydia X. Z. Brown: Policy Counsel, Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology Cat Zakrzewski: Technology Policy Reporter, The Washington Post Cindy Cohn: Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation Dana Sussman: Acting Executive Director, National Advocates for Pregnant Women Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.

With the overturn of Roe v Wade, how will OBGYNs have to change the way they provide for patients? This hour on Where We Live, we host a roundtable of OB-GYNs, and hear what their expectations and fears are about providing care in a post-Roe world. We hear from Dr. Amanda Kallen, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale School of Medicine, specializing in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She is joined by Dr. Kate Pascucci, a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology at Connecticut Women’s OB/GYN. We’ll also hear from Dr. Jessian Munoz who practices in Texas, and Dr. Beverly Gray, who practices in North Carolina. What questions do you have about the future of OB-GYN care post-Roe? GUESTS: Dr. Kate Pascucci - Connecticut Women's OB/GYN Dr. Amanda Kallen - Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yale School of Medicine Dr. Jessian Munoz - Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist practicing in Texas Dr. Beverly Gray - Associate Professor Duke Obstetrics and Gynecology Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.

With Roe v Wade overturned, and abortion becoming less available, will we see more children placed in foster care and parents seeking adoption? Today on Where We Live, we speak with experts and learn whether or not we should expect to see an increase in adoption. We hear from Connecticut Department of Children and Family Services Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes. Later, we hear from Doris Houston, Director of the Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies at Illinois State University. What questions do you have about the future of adoption and foster care? GUESTS: Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes - Connecticut Department of Children and Family Services Doris Houston - Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Social Work and the Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies at Illinois State University. Molly Rampe Thomas - Founder and CEO of Choice Network, a national recognized pro choice and LGBTQ adoption agency Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.

Mental illness, especially among children, is hard to identify. Today, we preview a new Ken Burns documentary--Hiding In Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness.  We talk with film director Erik Ewers, and Connecticut resident, Yanarry Acevedo, who’s featured in the film. This documentary speaks directly to the children impacted by mental illness, and how trauma has shaped their worldview and influenced their well being. First, we talk about the US Supreme Court’s ruling reversing Roe V. Wade - what’s your reaction? GUESTS: Claudine Constant - Public Policy and Advocacy Director of the Connecticut ACLU Erik Ewers: co-director and editor of the Ken Burns film Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness Yanarry Acevedo: featured participant in documentary, New Haven 19 years old Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.

Connecticut lawmakers passed legislation strengthening reproductive rights, making the state a “place of refuge” for people seeking abortions. This hour on Where We Live, we talk about this measure – which has become more important in light of the leaked Supreme Court documents — indicating a decision to overturn Roe. V. Wade. The Guttmacher Institute reports that nine states have enacted a total of 33 abortion restrictions as of April 15. More states are writing restrictions into law. States have enacted 11 measures protecting abortion access in seven states. Guttmacher reports that 2020 was the first year that more than half of U.S. abortions were medication abortions. According to data obtained by Where We Live, there were 9,373 abortion visits at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England’s (PPSNE) 14 health centers in Connecticut in 2021 – of which 6,282 were Medication Abortions (MAB), and 3,091 were in-clinic abortions. PPSNE is the largest provider of abortion care in Connecticut, while Hartford GYN is the state’s only independent clinic for abortion. Connecticut’s “safe haven” legislation is first-of-its-kind in the nation. Produced by Sujata Srinivasan. Special thanks to Matt Dwyer and Camila Vallejo for extra audio. GUESTS:  Rep. Matt Blumenthal (D-Stamford, Darien): House Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee Julia Simon–Kerr: Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law Dr. Kate Pascucci: OB-GYN, West Hartford Where We Live is dedicated to exploring the issues and impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. We wanted to create a space to make it easy for our listeners to find all of this content with one click. Visit ctpublic.org/PostRoeWorld for easy access to our ongoing coverage.