Podcast / See How They Run / Aug 17, 2024

Can Kamala Harris Really Affect the Fight for Abortion Rights?

On this episode of See How They Run, Regina Mahone on how the Democrats’ approach to reproductive freedom has changed post-Biden—and how it hasn’t.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Can Kamala Harris Really Affect the Fight for Abortion Rights? | See How They Run
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of See How They Run, Regina Mahone on how the Democrats' approach to reproductive freedom has changed post-Biden—and how it hasn't.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the media after touring Planned Parenthood, with Gov. Tim Walz and Planned Parenthood North Central States Chief Medical Officer Sarah Traxler, MD, on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in St. Paul, MN.

(Glen Stubbe / Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Ever since the Dobbs decision, the fight for abortion rights has galvanized Democratic voters like nothing else. But in Joe Biden, the party had a presidential candidate who appeared tentative, uncomfortable, and out of touch with the reproductive justice movement. He could barely even say the word “abortion.”

Now that Kamala Harris, an enthusiastic defender of abortion rights who has led her party’s post-Dobbs response, has replaced Biden at the top of the 2024 ticket, there is a sense that reproductive freedom can once again take its place at the center of the Democratic campaign.

But how much has the approach to abortion really shifted post-Biden? On this episode of See How They Run, we’re joined by Regina Mahone, Nation senior editor, author of the Repro Nation newsletter, and the coauthor of Liberating Abortion: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve, which will be published on October 1 and is available for preorder now.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

D.D. Guttenplan

D.D. Guttenplan is a special correspondent for The Nation and the former host of The Nation Podcast. He served as editor of the magazine from 2019 to 2025 and, prior to that, as an editor at large and London correspondent. His books include American Radical: The Life and Times of I.F. Stone, The Nation: A Biography, and The Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority.

More from The Nation

The Paramount logo is displayed on a water tower at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California.

The Supremes Say “No” to Trump on Mail Voting—Plus, the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight The Supremes Say “No” to Trump on Mail Voting—Plus, the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight

 David Cole analyzes the court’s ruling on voting by mail, and Rashad Robinson comments on the battle to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Jon Wiener

Attendees react as US Vice President Kamala Harris concedes to Donald Trump on November 6, 2024.

Overcoming the Left’s Politics of Powerlessness—With Yotam Marom Overcoming the Left’s Politics of Powerlessness—With Yotam Marom

Yotam Marom joins Fighting Fascism to discuss the left’s relationship to power, leadership, and strategy—and how movements can overcome the habits that hold them back.

The Supremes and the Ballroom. Plus, the Dems and the Senate.

The Supremes and the Ballroom. Plus, the Dems and the Senate. The Supremes and the Ballroom. Plus, the Dems and the Senate.

Robert Weissman analyzes the Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump’s White House ballroom, while John Nichols surveys the battle for control of Congress in the midterms.

Jon Wiener

How Civilizations Fall—With Patrick Wyman

How Civilizations Fall—With Patrick Wyman How Civilizations Fall—With Patrick Wyman

Patrick Wyman joins Fighting Fascism to explore what ancient societies can teach us about social collapse, human agency, and confronting fascism in the present.

Understanding MAGA as a Social Movement—With Bill Fletcher Jr.

Understanding MAGA as a Social Movement—With Bill Fletcher Jr. Understanding MAGA as a Social Movement—With Bill Fletcher Jr.

Bill Fletcher joins Fighting Fascism to discuss organized labor, anti-fascist strategy, and why understanding MAGA as a social movement matters for confronting it.

Texas’s Radical Roots—With David Griscom

Texas’s Radical Roots—With David Griscom Texas’s Radical Roots—With David Griscom

David Griscom joins Danny and Derek to explore Texas’s overlooked history of populism and socialism—and what it might mean for the left in the state today.

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner

x