LGBT Equality, Stonewall, Pride, & Non-Discrimination FTW

Last week Anna Nguyen of Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) and Priscilla Hale of Allgo Queer People of Color joined me to talk about Stonewall, Pride, and the continued efforts to achieve LGBT equality.

HB2 and SCOTUS: The Reckoning

Sylvia Holmes Associate Director of Student Legal Services at the University of Texas at Austin and Genevieve Cato Development Director at NARAL Pro-Choice Texas joined me to talk about the SCOTUS decision of Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, a victory for women's health.

Dawn Porter Presents TRAPPED

Dawn Porter, director of the documentary TRAPPED joined me to talk about the film, her experience making it, and the transparency with which conservative legislators use the law to the detriment of women's health while claiming it's for women's health.

HB2 SCOTUS Possible Outcomes

Genevieve Scott, Staff Attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Alexa Garcia-Ditta, Health Reporter at the Texas Observer, join me to talk about possible outcomes to Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, the HB2 case awaiting SCOTUS decision.

Inaugural Hour Long IFYT w/NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and Lilith Fund Executive Directors!

Heather Busby Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and Amanda Williams Executive Director of the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity joined me to introduce new listeners to the reproductive justice issues affecting Texas currently and how this situation has been multiple legislative sessions in the making. 

Equality Texas Promotes Freedom and Safety in Opposition to States' Efforts to Discriminate

Daniel Williams of Equality Texas joined me to talk about the unenforceable NC transphobic bathroom law, HB2, and Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton's efforts to bring state sponsored discrimination to students and schools in Texas.

Whole Woman's Health v Hellerstedt Oral Arguments on the Docket

Mary Tuma, health reporter form the Austin Chronicle joined me to talk about the HB2 case's oral arguments before SCOTUS.

It's also the second week of the KOOP Spring Membership Drive, so you'll hear a lot of activity in, on, and from our community radio station.

John Oliver Earns His Keep

Editorial on TRAP law effects and the situation Texas women are in after multiple legislative sessions of conservative chicanery. While I play a whole John Oliver video in this episode, I cannot include its content in here. You can watch it here.

Happy 43rd Birthday, Roe v. Wade!

This week Amanda Williams of the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity and Genevieve Cato of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas joined me this week to talk about the first 43 years of Roe v. Wade, SCOTUS, HB2, and the future of bodily autonomy for women in the U.S.

Anna Yocca Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted First Degree Murder

Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Legal Analyst at RH Reality Check, joined me to talk about the rising trend of women being arrested for exercising bodily autonomy. Anna Yocca, Tennessee woman charged with attempted first degree murder for self-inducing an abortion at 24 weeks, plead not guilty and her trial will begin soon.

Relevant as Ever, Throwbacks from the 70s: Hyde and Jimenez

Alexa Garcia-Ditta, Health Reporter at the Texas Observer, joins me to talk about the Hyde Amendment, Rosie Jimenez, HB2, and its impending appearance before SCOTUS. Rosie Jimenez was one of the first women to die from a clandestine abortion after the 1976 Hyde Amendment prevented use of federal funds for abortion procedures.

Yes, the Hyde Amendment has been hurting already marginalized women for almost 40 years.

False Witnesses Bring True Propaganda

Sharona Coutts, VP of Investigations and Research at RHRealityCheck, joined me to discuss false and misleading legislative and judicial testimony used by social conservative states' attorneys general and legislators to defend antichoice bills and laws. Much of this false and misleading information comes from a small group of propagandists Sharona aptly refers to as the false witnesses. The most notable of these false witnesses being Vincent Rue whose testimony has been dismissed from court as "personally biased and lacking expertise." 

These false witnesses have been repeating the same untrue information for decades and hold beliefs opposite of the APA, ACOG, AMA, and most other people with brains.

False Witnesses Abound

Brave New Year

For the first Issues for Your Tissues of 2014, Merritt Tierce Executive Director of the Texas Equal Access Fund (TEA Fund) joined me to discuss the increased demand for the direct assistance that the TEA Fund has experienced since HB2 became law last year. 

The TEA Fund is a member of the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF), and provides direct financial assistance to women of little means seeking abortion care.

It's good to be back.

It was a pleasure to host Heather Busby, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas on the re-inaugural episode of Issues for Your Tissues. We talked about the effects of the recent legislative session including HB 2 which was signed into law in the fall.

Aside from the detriment to women's health this law provides, Gov. Perry adds insult to injury by declaring repeat special sessions, which are to be reserved for emergencies. It's pretty arrogant to think that controlling my healthcare is a state emergency.