Abortion Defenders

Following the fall of Roe v. Wade, Michigan women face an uncertain future due to a 1931 "zombie law " on the books that would criminalize abortion. Mobilizing into action are a pro-choice mother-daughter duo, Shelley and Hailey, and an army of volunteer escorts at Northland Family Planning who protect clinic patients from armed protesters or "Anti's." Due to Michigan being an open-carry state, the escorts wear bodycams to monitor the" Anti's" activity. Lead Escort Marie and other volunteers mobilize to get enough signatures for a ballot initiative to amend outdated laws -- and keep abortion legal in Michigan.

Featuring interviews with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Power to Decide CEO Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley.

Visit CTLpod.com to find out more about the podcast, resources for abortion care, and information on how you can take action.

Thank you to Shelley, Hailey, Marie and all the volunteer escorts at the Northland Family Clinic -- and all those who have shared their stories with us. Some names and voices were changed to protect identities.

Since parts of this episode was recorded, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Go to AbortionFinder.org to get up-to-date information on where to access an abortion. Go to Plan C Pills to learn how to access abortion pills. Explore National Abortion Funds to inquire about funding support and Planned Parenthood’s Ban Off our Bodies to get involved.

This podcast is brought to you by Population Media Center. Executive Producers are Lisa Caruso and Alex Demyanenko, with Co-Producer Kathleen Bedoya and Associate Producer Dominica Ruelas. This episode was field produced by Erin Essenmacher, edited by Lynn Hughes with production services provided by Pidge Productions. Production coordination is by June Neely. Charity Tooze leads impact strategy. The narration is read by Tatiana St. Phard. Original music is composed by Valeri Ortiz.