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

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 WNBA, Past and Present and Irish Sport for Palestine

The WNBA, Past and Present and Irish Sport for Palestine The WNBA, Past and Present and Irish Sport for Palestine

Tamryn Spruill joins the show to talk about her new book on the WNBA, and we discuss Palestine and Irish politics with Rebecca O’Keefe.

Dave Zirin

Demonstrators against the rapid expansion of AI data centers in the UK and the environmental and social impact of Artificial Intelligence in London, UK, on February 28, 2026.

AI: What Is to Be Done? Plus Protest Under Assault AI: What Is to Be Done? Plus Protest Under Assault

On this episode, Garrison Lovely argues that the real threat of AI is making human labor obsolete, and Annie Leonard says we need to defend and use our right to protest.

Jon Wiener

Staten Island seen on August 5, 2026.

Does Staten Island Explain the Trump Age?—With Ben Naddaff-Hafrey Does Staten Island Explain the Trump Age?—With Ben Naddaff-Hafrey

Ben Naddaff-Hafrey joins Fighting Fascism to revisit Staten Island’s 1990s secession movement—and what the borough can teach us about resentment, politics, and Wu-Tang.

Jonathan Smucker, Aaron Regunberg, and Matt DaSilva

Images of Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro displayed on a street in Brasília on September 30, 2026.

US-Iran Talks Stall, Russia Nuclear Warning, Brazil Election US-Iran Talks Stall, Russia Nuclear Warning, Brazil Election

Danny and Alex Jordan unpack the week’s global news, from Iran and the Gulf to Russia-Ukraine, Saudi nuclear ambitions, military technology, and Brazil’s election.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

US President John F; Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the day he was assassinated.

A Modern History of Assassination—With Simon Ball A Modern History of Assassination—With Simon Ball

Danny and Derek talk to Simon Ball, professor of international history and politics at the University of Leeds, about the history of political assassination in the modern era.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

A large crowd gathers outside the Minnesota State Capitol during the “No Kings” national day of protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 28, 2026.

The Plan for No Kings–Vote Early Day—Plus, the Supremes and Trump’s Voter List Purge The Plan for No Kings–Vote Early Day—Plus, the Supremes and Trump’s Voter List Purge

Leah Greenberg outlines Indivisible’s early-voting strategy, while Rick Hasen explains the Supreme Court’s order allowing expanded use of the SAVE voter database.

Jon Wiener

x