How to Survive a Post-Roe America

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer and Outward podcast co-host Christina Cauterucci talks to Robin Marty about the Supreme Court’s plans with Roe v. Wade, and what women can do to prepare for the worst.  Robin Marty is the author of The New Handbook for a Post-Roe America. She’s also the communications director of the West Alabama Women’s Center and the Yellowhammer Fund, which provides funding and logistical support to women in need of abortions. They discuss what abortion access might look like if the justices further erode Roe. They also talk about why Robin once said she was ready for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe, and why national exhaustion has caused her to change her mind. In the second half of the show, it’s all about survival. Christina and Robin focus on the ways women will (hopefully) still be able to get access to reproductive health care, why self-managed abortions could become crucial, how privacy will take on increasing importance, and how people can help. Plus, they’ll tell you how you should decide when it’s time to “break some laws and do some bad stuff.” Recommendations: Christina recommends Tevas, specifically the Hurricane Drift sandals. “It literally feels like you’re wearing clouds on your feet.” Robin recommends Meg Elison’s “The Road to Nowhere” series, which starts with The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, then The Book of Etta, and finally the The Book of Flora. The books focus on a post-apocalyptic landscape after a fever has swept the earth, killing women and children and making childbirth very dangerous. In the series, women try to survive while helping others prevent pregnancies and births. Robin calls it a “breathtaking series that I absolutely love.” Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Additional production help by Rosemary Belson.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices