Activist Robin Marty on her 'Handbook for a Post-Roe America'

A special Big Books and Bold Ideas

A book cover and a photo of a person side by side.
Robin Marty is the operations director of the West Alabama’s Women’s Center and the author of “A Handbook for a Post-Roe America.”
Photo courtesy Robin Marty | Book cover courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Now that the right to an abortion has been overturned, America enters a new phase. Some states, like Minnesota, will continue to offer abortion care. Many others will prevent all access. Some will even criminalize anyone who helps a pregnant person get an abortion in a state that makes it legal.

Writer and activist Robin Marty saw this day coming — but she admits she didn’t think it would happen so quickly. In 2019, she wrote “Handbook for a Post-Roe America,” as she watched laws severely restricting abortion sweep many regions of the country. This spring, she released an updated version. And now, with the Supreme Court overturning Roe, it’s become a handbook for women reeling from the decision and wondering what to do next.

Wednesday, on a special edition of Big Books and Bold Ideas, host Kerri Miller spoke with Marty, who recently moved from Minnesota to Alabama to become the operations director for the West Alabama’s Women’s Center. They discussed her book, what she thinks will happen next, and how the hopscotched nature of abortion rights going forward will impact pregnant people, especially women of color.

Guest:

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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