Texas has effectively banned abortion, and the Supreme Court refused a temporary restraining order while the case winds its way up the courts. As last week’s guest, The Nation’s Elie Mystal, argued, Roe v. Wade has effectively been overturned, and Republican states around the country will soon follow Texas’ lead with their own effective bans. 

If the Supreme Court ultimately ratifies the ban as expected, the only recourse will be electoral. That is small comfort for women in solidly Republican states like Idaho, Wisconsin, or West Virginia. But the battlegrounds are a different story, Texas included. Suppose the only way to protect a woman’s right to choose is by winning an election. In that case, there could be renewed participatory interest from single women and young voters—groups that have historically suffered from poor voter turnout. 

Today’s guest is Jodi Hicks, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood California. We will ask her about how she thinks the Texas abortion law affected the California recall election, if it all. She’s done a lot of campaigning for California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Has she noticed a difference on the ground? Is she seeing heightened urgency among voters? Also, how does she think the issue has resonated nationally from her vantage point—will it play a pivotal role in the 2022 midterms? The Supreme Court is expected to rule on a Mississippi abortion ban before next year’s November elections, inevitably thrusting the issue front and center in the final months of the campaign. 

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