The Leak (Episode 85)

The Leak (Episode 85)

This week, Shaunna and Lisa bumped their scheduled episode to bring you one on the leaked opinion striking down Roe vs Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood vs Casey (1992), two Supreme Court decisions that enshrined a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion into U.S. Constitutional law. On Monday, May 2nd, Politico published the leaked opinion (which is only a draft from February), and all hell broke loose. People demonstrated outside the Supreme Court, commentators reflected on what this means for the future of women’s rights in the U.S.A. and a litany of emergency podcasts were released (including ours!).

Shaunna and Lisa discuss why this likely decision to end the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. could have profound effects on women’s access to sport - for fun and as a career. Being able to choose when and how to have a family is fundamental to a person’s ability to engage fully in society. On the heels of the pandemic that has been devastating to women’s participation in the workplace, forcing women and people who can become pregnant to carry a pregnancy to term is right out of The Handmaid’s Tale. A lack of universal healthcare and paid family leave, horrific maternal mortality statistics, particularly for Black women, and the overall risks of pregnancy, women and people who can become pregnant are at an even greater disadvantage to enjoy the “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness” the U.S. supposedly guarantees every citizen. On the 50th anniversary of Title IX which did so much for women’s sport, there is a lot to say, and Shaunna and Lisa do not have time to say it all. But hopefully, this pod will make a little clearer the connection between this historic decision and the world of women’s sport.

Mentioned in the podcast

What the SCOTUS leak could mean for abortion

https://crooked.com/podcast/what-the-scotus-leak-could-mean-for-abortion/

‘I only see it getting worse’: Female athletes speak out on Roe v. Wade

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/05/03/sports-world-reacts-roe-wade-supreme-court-wnba/

Athletes Express Support for Abortion Rights in Supreme Court Case Over Mississippi Law

https://www.womensrunning.com/culture/news/athletes-express-support-mississippi-abortion-rights-case/

Social Determinants of Health

https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health

***If requiring a transcript of this episode, please contact Amelia at amelia@livefeisty.com***

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