5 things we learned from Vice President Kamala Harris' conversation about abortion

We’re thrilled to announce that Hey Jane is the official sponsor of a special episode of The Meteor’s podcast Undistracted, featuring a conversation between Vice President Kamala Harris and host Brittany Packnett Cunningham to mark the one year since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

In this important episode, the two discuss what has changed, what can be done at a legislative and legal level to protect access, why saying the word “abortion” is so important, and more. In other words: They’re not afraid to talk about abortion (and neither are we).

As Cunningham puts it, “We have to be as subversively creative as our ancestors, who knew that putting the freedom railroads underground and creating that covert collective known as Jane was the very least we could do to secure access to the birthright of our agency, no matter the risk.”

Here are a few of our favorite moments from the conversation with Vice President Harris—you can listen to the episode below!

Why we’re only getting a sliver of the post-Roe story

“There are so many stories that you and I are not aware of, [with people] who are privately and silently suffering and alone, and in an environment which has now not only lacked compassion for their needs (not to mention the right to make decisions about their own body), but in an environment heavily weighted with judgment. Meant to make her feel as if she’s done something wrong.”

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How we can fight abortion stigma

“Part of what we have to do is reach out, all of us, in every way we can to let folks know: You are not being judged. You are not alone. There is nothing about you that has done something wrong. And we want to protect you and your rights and your freedoms.”

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How the government can step in

“Ultimately, we need a federal law that reinstates the protections of Roe v. Wade. Because when that happens we will get rid of these various laws that are being passed in states that are criminalizing health care providers [...] and these laws that deprive women the ability to make decisions about their body. We need a national law. How do we get there? We need to have the majority of Congress who agrees with the freedom and the rights of women to make decisions about their own body. When we have that majority in the Congress, we can pass a law that puts these protections back in place. That’s ultimately what we have to do. That’s about elections.”

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Why local elections matter for abortion access

“Pay attention to who is your local prosecutor, if you live in a state that is criminalizing health care providers. Pay attention to who is in your state house because, since the Supreme Court took away the right, it has gone to the states, and state legislatures are the ones who are either standing to protect those rights or are attacking those rights.”

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What this moment needs

“We all must stand up and say: We are not having this. We are not going to allow this. And that we are going to fight for the right of every person to make decisions about their own body, and not the government making that decision for them.”

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