The FMUS podcast

Making Sense of Trump’s Global Anti-Gender Agenda — with Neil Datta

Neil Datta, Executive Director of the Brussels-based European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF), discusses EPF’s new report Beyond The Chaos, a New World Is Emerging: Making Sense of the Trump Administration’s Impact on Reproductive Rights and Gender Equality. EPF provides technical support to 30 all-party parliamentary groups across Europe to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights. Under Neil’s leadership, EPF has also become a prominent source of information and analysis on the strategies and funding sources of far-right anti-gender movements in Europe and beyond.  Neil explains how he expects Trump 2.0 to pivot from destruction towards the consolidation of new norms and creation of an entirely new set of global and regional organizations and programs dedicated to a religious right-wing vision of sexual and reproductive health.

FGM, Feminism and the Law in The Gambia — with Satang Nabaneh

Dr. Satang Nabaneh, an award-winning legal scholar and Director of Programs at the University of Dayton’s Human Rights Center, discusses her recent edited volume, Female Genital Mutilation in Africa: politics of criminalization, that examines the role of criminal law in combatting this harmful traditional practice. Nabaneh reflects on legal strategies to end FGM, the situation in The Gambia and elsewhere in Africa, and how African feminist movements are organizing to end FGM.

Mexico’s Green Wave for Abortion Rights — with María Antonieta Alcalde Castro

María Antonieta is a Mexican feminist, an advocate for women’s and youth rights with over 20 years’ experience as a leader in the struggle for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Early in her career, she founded Balance, a feminist organization that supports women and adolescents in Mexico to make free choices about their sexuality. Most recently, she was the Executive Director of Ipas Latin America and Caribbean, where she help spearhead advances in abortion rights across the region. In this episode, she and Françoise discuss the ongoing decriminalization of abortion in Mexico, the strategies used by the feminist movement to achieve this stunning success, the inspiration the movement draws from abortion activism across the region and notably in Argentina (the “Marea Verde”), and the challenges that remain.

What Women of Color Can Teach Us About Winning — with Vanessa Priya Daniel

Vanessa Daniel is the author of the just published Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone about Winning. The founder and CEO for 17 years of the Groundswell Fund, a leading funder of WOC-led grassroots and electoral organizing, Vanessa worked as a labor and community organizer for over 25 years. She and Françoise discuss the obstacles to WOC leadership in social movements in the US and the often perplexing dynamics in those movements, what “superpowers” WOC bring to the struggle for justice and equity and what we all can do to support WOC leaders, so we can all win.

The Hidden Criminalization of Pregnancy in the US: Not Just About Abortion — with Denise Tomasini-Joshi

Pregnant persons in the US face increased criminalization for their pregnancy decisions and outcomes, even in so-called “blue” states that guarantee the right to abortion. Denise Tomasini-Joshi, the co-CEO of If/When/Now: Lawyers for Reproductive Justice, discusses this worrying trend with Françoise, and outlines the actions her organization is taking to protect reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.

The US Is Walking Away From Global Health — with Nina Schwalbe

The Trump Administration is pulling out of the World Health Organization, reneging on the Sustainable Development Goals, and no longer participating in the ongoing negotiations for a global pandemic treaty. Nina Schwalbe, CEO of public health think tank Spark Street Advisors, discusses with Françoise the implications for global health of these destructive actions.

The Devastating Impact of USAID Cuts on Women’s Health in Kenya — with Monica Oguttu

Françoise speaks to Monica Oguttu of Kenya about the catastrophic cuts to USAID by Elon Musk’s so-called ‘DOGE,’ and their dire impact on the lives and health of women and girls on the ground. Monica is a nurse-midwife, a health advocate, and the Executive Director of KMET, the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust in Western Kenya. 

Expanding Medical Abortion in Restrictive Times — with Angel Foster, MD

Dr. Angel Foster is a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and held the 2011-2016 Endowed Chair in Women’s Health Research. Francoise speaks to her about making medical abortion care available to women who need it an era of increasing restriction. 

Defending Sexual and Reproductive Rights Against the Far Right — with Jodi Jacobson

In this episode, Françoise interviews Jodi Jacobson, the Founder and Executive Director of Healthcare Across Borders, as well as Founder and Editor of Rewire News. Françoise and Jodi describe the challenges of maintaining  access to sexual and reproductive health  in the face of rising attacks from the authoritarian right. 

Dismantling USAID Is Causing Real Harm — with Beth Schlachter

In this episode, Françoise interviews Beth Schlachter, Senior Director of US External Relations MSI Reproductive Choices. They discuss the ongoing dismantling of USAID by the Trump administration and its harmful impact on millions worldwide.