Ideas worth spreading

The future of US reproductive rights after Roe v. Wade

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Mary Ziegler, Loretta J. Ross, Erika Bachiochi, Joshua Prager |

TED Membership

• May 2022

The recent leak of the US Supreme Court's draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade -- the nearly 50-year-old ruling to legalize abortion nationwide -- has left many wondering what happens next for reproductive rights in the country. In a thoughtful, at times contentious conversation between legal historian Mary Ziegler, activist Loretta J. Ross, legal scholar Erika Bachiochi and journalist Joshua Prager, a diverse panel of speakers explores what a reversal of Roe v. Wade would really mean and share their ideas for a path forward for reproductive rights in the US. (This conversation, hosted by TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event on May 19, 2022. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)

The recent leak of the US Supreme Court's draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade -- the nearly 50-year-old ruling to legalize abortion nationwide -- has left many wondering what happens next for reproductive rights in the country. In a thoughtful, at times contentious conversation between legal historian Mary Ziegler, activist Loretta J. Ross, legal scholar Erika Bachiochi and journalist Joshua Prager, a diverse panel of speakers explores what a reversal of Roe v. Wade would really mean and share their ideas for a path forward for reproductive rights in the US. (This conversation, hosted by TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event on May 19, 2022. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)

About the speakers

Mary Ziegler

Legal historian

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Mary Ziegler is an expert on the law, history and politics of reproduction, health care and conservatism in the United States from 1945 to the present.

Loretta J. Ross

Loretta J. Ross

Activist, professor, public intellectual

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A professor at Smith College, Loretta J. Ross educates people on how to counter call-out culture in schools, businesses and relationships.

Erika Bachiochi

Erika Bachiochi

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Erika Bachiochi is a legal scholar specializing in equal protection jurisprudence, feminist legal theory, Catholic social teaching and sexual ethics.

Joshua Prager

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Joshua Prager’s journalism unravels historical secrets -- and his own.

Whitney Pennington Rodgers

Whitney Pennington Rodgers

TED current affairs curator

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Whitney Pennington Rodgers is an award-winning journalist and media professional.

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