The Wild, Untold Story of How They Made Abortion Political: Witches, Healers & Liars | Amanda with Jessica Valenti

Abortion isn't just about abortion—it’s about everything.

It's about who gets to decide the course of a woman's life. It's about healthcare, democracy, power, freedom, and the stories we've been taught to believe.

In this can’t-miss conversation, Amanda traces the shocking history of abortion in America—from witch hunts to medical monopolies to the political strategy that transformed abortion into a partisan weapon. Then journalist and activist Jessica Valenti joins to expose what extremists are doing now, why these attacks were never really about abortion, and why she refuses to believe they're winning.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, confused, or hopeless about this moment, this episode will give you something even more powerful than outrage: clarity.

- How abortion became a political weapon—and what it's really about.

- Why abortion bans haven't reduced abortions.

- How attacks on abortion threaten all reproductive healthcare.

- The hidden strategies extremists are using now—and how to recognize them.

- How the vast majority of Americans are on the same side—and why hope is a strategy.

- Practical ways to take action, support local abortion funds, and protect your community.

For more with Jessica Valenti, please listen to:

353. How We’ll Save Abortion: A Must-Listen with Jessica Valenti

About Jessica:

Jessica Valenti is a writer, activist, and one of the country’s most influential voices on gender and politics. The award-winning author of eight books—including the New York Times bestseller Abortion—she has shaped the national conversation on feminism for over two decades.

Jessica’s groundbreaking anthology Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape set what’s now considered the gold standard for sexual consent and paved the way for legislation of the same name. She is also widely credited with sparking feminism’s online wave as the founder of the trailblazing blog Feministing.

A former columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, Jessica’s sharp, uncompromising analysis has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and on media outlets from CNN to The Daily Show. She speaks at colleges and organizations nationwide about feminism, abortion, and sexual violence.

After the fall of Roe, Jessica founded Abortion, Every Day, an urgent synthesis of anything and everything happening with abortion rights in the United States.

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