In this Substack Live, David Pakman speaks with Jessica Valenti, bestselling author and creator of Abortion Every Day, about how the abortion landscape has evolved since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Valenti argues that while abortion bans have made access more difficult and created serious consequences for patients and healthcare systems, they have not reduced the number of abortions. The discussion explores the growing focus on medication abortion, contraception, and the legal strategies being used to further restrict reproductive healthcare.
The conversation also examines the broader consequences of abortion bans, including physician shortages, hospital closures, rising maternal health concerns, and what Valenti sees as a growing effort within the Trump administration to reshape federal reproductive health policy through administrative guidance rather than headline-grabbing legislation. Pakman and Valenti close by discussing Donald Trump’s personal relationship to the issue versus the priorities of his administration, concluding that regardless of Trump’s own views, the officials shaping federal policy are deeply committed to advancing a broad anti-abortion agenda.
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