It鈥檚 been two years since the Supreme Court revoked the federal right to an abortion, and the subsequent increase in state abortion bans and restrictions has driven people to seek care outside of their home states.
Host Anita Rao meets Taylor Shelton, a woman in her mid-20s who traveled from South Carolina to North Carolina three times to receive the abortion care she needed.
South Carolina instigated a six-week abortion ban in August 2023. Even though Taylor found out she was pregnant at four weeks, the high demand for abortion care in the state made it impossible for her to get an abortion before the six week mark. She made three appointments and drove over 20 hours in order to receive an abortion in North Carolina.
Anita also meets , the interim director for the , a non-profit that organizes transportation, meals, lodging, child care and more for those traveling long distances for abortion care. The Brigid Alliance also specifically supports people who are 15 weeks or more pregnant, which often makes abortion care more expensive and difficult to find. Serra discusses how their work has changed since the Dobbs decision in 2022 and how they are preparing for future influxes of clients.
Plus, Anita talks with sociologist , who studies abortion depictions in movies and television. Gretchen talks about the rise of the 鈥渁bortion road trip鈥� movie subgenre and how much of what we see of abortion travel on screen matches reality.
An Abortion Road Trip Movie List:
Grandma (2015), directed by Paul Weitz
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), directed by Eliza Hittman
Unpregnant (2020), directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg
Plan B (2021), directed by Natalie Morales
Red, White and Blue (Short 2023), directed by Nazrin Choudhury
, directed by Amelia Xanthe Boscov
Taylor's Search for Abortion Care: An Illustrated Travel Story
