Women's Rights in America Under Threat

The podcast addresses the alarming state of women's rights in America, focusing on the repercussions of political changes that threaten reproductive health, workplace protections, and voting rights. The discussion emphasizes the need for awareness, advocacy, and participation in safeguarding women's freedoms and the importance of collective action.

• The impact of Trump’s presidency on women’s rights 
• The connection between abortion access and maternal health crises 
• The implications of proposed laws like the SAVE Act on voting rights 
• The intersection of economic issues with women’s employment and education policies 
• Recommendations for proactive measures women can take to protect their rights 
• The best states for women’s rights according to recent analyses 
• The necessity of collective activism and support for women’s organizations

http://aclu.org/

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

Chapters

• 0:02 Women's Rights in America Under Threat
• 4:40 Threats to Women's Rights in USA
• 20:58 Women's Rights and School Voucher Impact
• 37:32 Protecting Women's Rights and Voting Power

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

I am a feminist and I live in America. You don't have to be a feminist or believe the same things that I believe to be worried about what's about to happen to women's rights in the United States of America. And if you care about your rights as a woman, you need to listen to this episode. I'm your host, christypt. As my co-host, I have asked ChatGPT a few questions just to see you know what it would say, so we will get into those results, including as a woman in America. Where would you think are the top four states where you can feel safe If you can feel safe in any state right now, with Trump as our president, it's kind of hard. I am not here to try and scare you at all. I'm going to give you the facts and I will be using some of my opinions in these facts, and I will be using some of my opinions in these facts, and I welcome you to go fact check me and make sure everything I say is fact. Ok, obviously my opinion is not a fact, but all the things that I will be talking about are First, I would like to touch on Caroline Leavitt, our press secretary.

Speaker 1: 1:49

On Caroline Leavitt, our press secretary, now, if she was on my team, I would have nothing but positive things to say about her, but unfortunately she's not OK. She is not pro-woman, because if she was pro-woman, she could not stand in front of us and say the things she's saying. She is lying, she is taking the same rhetoric that is coming from Elon and Trump and she is just spreading it. You know, and I find it weird as a career woman right now in America, how can she not see that this could affect her? Probably because she's associated with the Heritage Foundation, or better known as the Authors of Project 2025. She can be seen in a video on their website. It's fantastic.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Let me tell you Now. Does she realize that, in order for her to have gotten to where she is, she would have had to have some rights right? What if she has a miscarriage? What if she needs a surgery associated with that miscarriage? Would she get it? Does she care? No, because it hasn't affected her yet, but it's affecting everybody else.

Speaker 1: 3:05

I don't. I don't understand it, because the very reason that we have the careers that we have, or we've been able to vote, or we've been able to have sex, casual sex and use birth control, the fact that that we don't have to homeschool our kids. All of these things are coming into play and in in the laws that they're trying to pass within the states and federally. I don't understand it, and I say this coming from a place of having to argue once with one of my cousins about voting rights, and I mentioned there are women that fought for our right to vote. Doesn't that bother you? She said no, meaning she doesn't care if she gets to vote or not. And there are a lot of people that don't vote and they don't get the weight of being able to vote. They don't realize that their ancestors, their grandparents, their great-great-grandparents, all the people before them, have been fighting for their rights and I don't know anybody personally in my family line that was walking and picketing and fighting for me and I don't have to fighting for me and I don't have to. I don't have to. I know the fight. I've watched the videos, I've read the books, I know the fight and it's really sad that we are turning back the clocks because Trump's already said he wants to turn back the clocks.

Speaker 1: 4:40

As a matter of fact, trump basically put out a tweet that said or it's not even tweet anymore, it's X. He put out an X quote. I don't know. I don't know how you say it.

Speaker 1: 4:50

Someone that is saving the country can't be breaking the law. Accomplish that because it terrifies me, which means he's above the law In his mind. He's above the law. Well, he is a white older man men in America. Who's looking out for us? Who's looking out for our health care? Why are they removing things from the internet?

Speaker 1: 5:39

All of this is concerning. Why did they ban the Associated Press from coming to the White House? Why is Donald Trump suing major media networks? Why is Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, texas, wanting to have the voucher program for schools? Why are they talking about your last names matching in the SAVE Act to vote? Why are they banning certain words? All food for thought.

Speaker 1: 6:26

So I asked ChatGPT for me. The reason I cried when Trump was elected. I literally bawled my eyes out for two days. The reason I was just broken was because I saw it coming. Broken was because I saw it coming. I knew, if they elected him, my rights and my daughter's rights were in danger From the word go, because I did read Project 2025. I saw what Trump said he had no association with. But now he's putting all these members in place that have authored or contributed to Project 2025. I knew he was associated with it from the get-go and yet the people that were voting for Trump were like no, no, no, no. He said he had nothing to do with it.

Speaker 1: 7:23

The fact that people still believe anything this man says is mind blowing, because it's all you can prove it. You can fact check these things. They're listening to this propaganda and not fact checking this man. I don't know that. I was a fact checker before this happened. I'm going to be honest. Like I would hear things on the internet and be like, oh, that's crazy, and never really go and research it myself. Since Trump has taken office, I have. So if I see something on TikTok and somebody says something, I'm like all right, let me go check that out, Like every time, because you know people are going to put their own spin on it and I want to know what the truth is.

Speaker 1: 8:11

So I asked ChatGPT to give me some information. The first question I asked it Nova, is the name of my ChatGPT friend. I said what rights of women are being challenged through the USA right now? The answer several women's rights are being challenged right now, particularly in the areas of reproductive rights, healthcare, workplace protections and legal equality. Here are some key points. Number one, which is everybody's aware of okay, I don't typically talk about abortion. I do not typically talk about it because it is something that automatically puts people on the defensive, because people are like protect, you know, pro-life, protect the babies, protect the babies. There's so many more factors that go into that statement. It's not just black and white, of course. I want to protect the babies. I have three of my own. I want to protect the babies. There is more to that law Abortion access.

Speaker 1: 9:25

Since the overturning of Roe versus Wade in 2022, many states have enacted strict abortion bans or severe restrictions, leading to legal battles and increased difficulties for women seeking reproductive care. Some states are also trying to restrict abortion related travel. Did you hear that line? I'm going to. I'm going to repeat it for the people in the back. Some states are also trying to restrict abortion related travel, which means I'm in Texas. Ok, everybody knows Texas is a red state. If I were in baby making years, I would not be allowed to leave the state to go to another state that protects your right to have an abortion legally.

Speaker 1: 10:25

Mm-hmm, that's terrifying. Even if it meant my life, because it did mean somebody's life, and I'm going to tell you a few of their names right now Candy Miller, amber Thurman, jocely Barnica and Nevaeh Crane. Those are just the few we know about. Can you imagine all the ones we don't know about? This is there is a lot more. There is a lot more. There is a lot more.

Speaker 1: 10:56

They are removing access to information. They're not going to want to make it national news. It makes them look bad because it's all about pro-life and that baby in your stomach, not about women that could die because they carry this baby to term, even if it's a dead baby and I know that that is a really, really aggressive way to say it, but it's true. The baby that you love, the baby that you had intentions of having not making it to full term Is devastating. I know several people that it's happened to. It's devastating, but what if it meant you were going to lose your life, even though the baby has already lost theirs or is about to lose theirs? What if it's a rape, a rape victim? What if it's a 10 year old rape victim? Because I know of a story where there was a 10 year old rape victim and the mother had to leave the state and she got an abortion for her child.

Speaker 1: 12:14

And now now the doctor, the doctor's in trouble, big time trouble Birth control. So now there is no conception, there is no baby, there was no egg, meat, sperm. It's to prevent egg meeting sperm. Now why? Why would birth control be made illegal? Some conservative lawmakers and courts are considering restrictions on access to birth control and IVF, raising concerns about reproductive freedom. Why do you think they would want to restrict birth control? I have my own opinion, and my opinion would be because they want more babies. Specifically, an ethnic cleansing white babies group is headed. Whites are now not going to be the majority in the future the way we're headed now. How do you protect that? You make sure the babies are happening. Okay, there is no other reason. There is no other reason and if there is, please tell me because I will hear everything you have to say. But right now I know the reason, the next one that ChatGPT has told me Maternal health care, maternity care crisis.

Speaker 1: 13:49

Many states, especially rural I can't say that word, but just know that it's R-U-R-A-L. Rural areas are experiencing a decline in maternity care access due to hospital closures and restrictive abortion laws discouraging doctors from practicing here Pregnancy-related legal risks. Women in some states have been investigated or criminalized for pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriages and stillbirths, due to harsh fetal protection laws. So not only do you lose the baby that you were carrying and you wanted most in the world, not only as a woman do you have to go through that. You could be subjected to breaking the law, you could be criminalized. Some states are proposing the death penalty.

Speaker 1: 14:45

The next one workplace and economic rights. So equality in the workplace, equal pay and workplace protections pay gaps. Gaps persist and efforts to strengthen equal pay laws face resistance. Shocker, some states are also limiting workplace protections for pregnant workers and those needing maternity leave. Now I'm going to ask the question again why would there be a problem with maternity leave for women? Any ideas? I'm going to take a guess Because they don't want you in the workplace. They want you at home. Homeschooling. They want you at home, not in the workplace. That's for the man, okay. Next one have I got your attention yet A little bit, maybe? Next one Child care and paid leave. Federal paid family leave policies remain very weak and many states provide little to no paid paternity leave, which I do know that that's an issue disproportionately affecting women in the workplace, childcare and paid leave.

Speaker 1: 16:03

Legal and political representation. Now, keep in mind the list that I'm reading on is how are women in the United States being affected right now as far as our rights go? And I'm going down the list and I'm reading that. Okay, next one Legal and political representation. Threats to gender protections Some efforts to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment, era, which I've talked about on here into law have stalled. Into law have stalled, leaving gender equality protections uncertain at the federal level. Now Biden did come out and say that it was a done deal Right before he left office. He said it's a done deal, but the archivist doesn't want to do it and she fucking didn't. Okay, we're not going there. We're not going there. We're not going there. We're not going there, but just know we are still not protected in the constitution.

Speaker 1: 17:05

Attacks on women's political power Some laws and policies are being proposed that limit women's autonomy in decision-making roles, particularly regarding health and family policies. As of February 16th 2025, numerous bills at both federal and state levels are impacting women's rights across the United States. Below is an overview of significant legislative actions. Ok, now we're going to get exact. Now I'm going to pinpoint how these are impacting us and what's happening around us.

Speaker 1: 17:47

Reproductive Freedom for Women Act. Senate Democrats have introduced this bill to counteract restrictive reproductive right measures aiming to safeguard access to abortion and other reproductive health services, defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth. To the federal government, a recent executive order emphasizes the administration's stance on defying gender based on biological sex, impacting policies related to gender identity and women's rights. State legislation Now that was federal. Here's some state House Bill 991, texas, filed in November 2024,. This bill addresses abortion by proposing civil liability for the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs and imposing duties on internet service providers to restrict access to related information. Still Texas Senate Bill 86. This proposal aims to prohibit classroom instructions about sexual orientation or gender identity in schools, reflecting ongoing debates over LBGTQ plus topics in education. Alabama Definition of male and female bill. Legislators have approved a bill defining sex based on reproductive organs present at birth, effectively excluding transgender individuals from recognition under their identified gender.

Speaker 1: 19:21

Missouri Abortion access restoration. Following a state court ruling, abortion access has been restored in Missouri, blocking previous restrictions that prevented clinics from operating. Nationwide trends Fetal personhood bills. Several states are expected to push for legislation establishing fetal rights, which could further restrict abortion access by granting legal personhood to fetuses. Anti-lbgtq plus legislation. The ACLU is tracking numerous bills across various states targeting LBGTQ plus rights, with many focusing on transgender individuals' access to health care and participation in sports. These legislative efforts reflect the dynamic and contentious landscape of women's rights in the United States, encompassing reproductive health, gender identity and workplace protections.

Speaker 1: 20:20

And there is the source that ChatGPT pulled from, and that was Politicocom, apnewscom and HoustonChroniclecom. Then I asked does the SAVE Act hurt voting rights of women? Then I asked does the SAVE Act hurt voting rights of women? Here we go yes, okay, let's just start there. Yes, this hasn't been passed yet, but it's proposed. Keep that in mind. If you hear this, listen to what I'm saying. So SAFE stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Okay. Safe stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility OK.

Speaker 1: 20:58

So the SAVE Act could significantly impact women's voting rights, particularly affecting married women who have changed their last name. The legislation requires individuals to provide in-person proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering or updating voter registration. This possesses challenges for many women, especially those whose legal names differ from the names of their birth certificates due to marriage. Research indicates that up to 34 percent of voting age women lack citizenship documents bearing their current legal names, potentially disenfranchising millions. Additionally, the SAVE Act could undermine various voter registration methods, including mail-in registration, voter registration drives, online registration and automatic registration. By mandating in-person submission of original citizenship documents, the Act could effectively eliminate these convenient and widely used avenues, disproportionately affecting women who rely on them due to name change or other factors. Critics argue that the act imposes unnecessary barriers, as existing safeguards already prevent non-citizens from voting. They contend that the legislation could suppress voter participation among eligible citizens, particularly married women and other marginalized groups.

Speaker 1: 22:43

The sources were Glamourcom, beaumontenterprisecom and APNewscom. You see where the Associated Press News comes in a lot. Yeah, they're the ones that are banned and their information is critical to the things that we learn and educate ourselves with. Just throwing that out there. I asked because right now there's this voucher thing and public schools and Governor Greg Abbott will not shut up about it and nobody wants it. I read all the comments and everybody's against it. I'm going to say a good 80 percent of Texas voters are against it. He's not listening. I wonder why. Let's get into why.

Speaker 1: 23:24

I asked does the vouchers for schools in Texas hurt women who want to work? Yes, hear that. Yes, yes, the Texas school voucher program could negatively impact women who want to work, particularly mothers. Here's how One reduction in public school funding Vouchers divert public funds to private schools, which could lead to underfunded public schools with fewer restrictions, larger class size and potential school closures. Now, as a mother, a working single mother this would have dramatically affected me. I have one more year left of dealing with this. One more year Well, a year and a half, because Trevor's a junior right now. But we would have been significantly impacted by this. I'm just glad we're almost out.

Speaker 1: 24:20

Working mothers rely on stable public schools for their children's education, and disruptions in the public system could make balancing work and family responsibilities more difficult. Do you see how they're all tying together here? Increased cost for families Many private schools charge tuition beyond what vouchers cost, forcing families to pay the difference. Low and middle-income mothers, especially single moms, may find it harder to afford quality education for their children, limiting their ability to work full time. Can you just imagine how that is going to just put families in poverty? Could have been me. I was fighting for this education for Trevor. I moved from one area to this area. I live outside my means to make sure that his public school is good and it has helped him so much. And another thing that's at risk is the 504 plan that helps with disabilities. Trevor got on that in sixth grade because he came here and they figured out he had some learning disabilities with dyslexia and ADHD and these things that helped just a bunch of different things. They gave my son confidence and that's at risk with abolishing the Department of Education. I digress.

Speaker 1: 25:46

Limited accessibility to private schools, obviously, I mean that's a no-brainer. They're saying that we could have. Oh, you get your choice. Now you can go to this private school. Yeah, at what cost? At what cost? You've now taken the money from public schools and you've put it in private. Who's going to get the education? The rich, not people like me or Trevor.

Speaker 1: 26:11

Unlike public schools, private schools are not required to provide transportation or special education services. That's Trevor twice Twice he's needed to ride the bus. Hannah's needed to ride the bus. The bus, austin's needed to ride the bus. An extra burden on working mothers who may have to arrange transportation or additional support for their children, making it harder to maintain steady employment. This would have just killed me. Impact on women's working in education the defunding of public schools could lead to teacher layoffs or pay cuts, disproportionately affecting women, who make up the majority of teachers and school staff. Many public school jobs offer stable salaries, benefits and pensions that are essential for working women.

Speaker 1: 27:12

Child care challenges Now here's a big one, because if you can't afford child care, what happens? The child ends up home and you are home schooling, not in the workplace. Some vouchers supported private schools have shorter school days or do not offer after school programs, creating child care gaps that working mothers must fill. I have been after school programs are what got me through, sometimes before school. I would drop him off before school because I had to leave to get to work. I was an hour away from my job so I had to leave and bring him to a before school daycare and then the daycare would drive him to school, and then after school, school daycare and then the daycare would drive him to school and then after school daycare. I've utilized these programs the whole time I've been a mother. I've needed these programs. Fewer public school options could push more women out of the workforce to stay home with their children.

Speaker 1: 28:10

I asked ChatGPT, my co-host for this episode, or NOVA for short, what would you do if you are a woman living in the USA? If I were a woman living in the US right now, I would focus on staying informed, which I'm trying to do for you and myself, advocating for my rights. This is huge. We have to keep speaking, we have to keep doing our research and we have to keep educating ourselves. Don't get complacent and making strategic decisions to protect my future and your children's future. We need to make sure that SAFE Act doesn't come through and, if it does, we need to make sure all of our documents match.

Speaker 1: 28:57

If you're married, track legislation. Track legislation that affects women's rights, including reproductive health care, workplace protections and voting laws. Vote in every election, especially local and state, since they have a big impact on daily life. Support organizations that fight for women's rights, such as ACLU Huge. I have text messages that come through them. I donate to them. Planned Parenthood that's another huge one. They are really at risk right now. I heard that they recently took down all of their Instagram posts and I don't know why. I don't know why, but I feel like they're about to get. They're about to come after them, so we need to support them.

Speaker 1: 29:50

Okay, it's not just abortion. I hope you hear that. It's so much bigger than that when I was pregnant and I could not afford an OBGYN. I was 19. I went to Planned Parenthood and I got a pregnancy test and they gave me all the information. They helped me and there wasn't an abortion involved. I just needed help Protect them. And another one, the League of Women Voters. I have to look them up. I didn't know about them till just now, so I will definitely do my research on that. I'm going to say it again the League of Women Voters, aclu and Planned Parenthood. Okay, I will put links in the episode in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 30:47

I'd keep emergency contraception on hand in case of unexpected situations. Go buy the shit, go order the shit, get it, get prepared. And if it's not for you or me because, like I said, I can't have any more babies for your kids, for your neighbor, for your friend make sure you have it. If I'm planning to have children I'm in a relationship, I want to have children, or even not in a relationship, and you want to have children I'm in a relationship, I want to have children, or even not in a relationship, and you want to have children I'd choose an employer that offers paid leave and flexible work policies. Now, that can be tricky, because if they don't advertise that they offer paid leave. I would not recommend going into an interview and saying do you have paid leave? I'm looking to have a baby. No, no, no. Do not voice that. So if you're not able to find it, don't ask. Don't ask. You can ask after you get there and they give you the handbook and it might be in the handbook or in their benefits package and then you can make a decision.

Speaker 1: 31:52

Stay updated on possible voter suppression tactics, such as proof of citizenship laws or restricted mail-in voting. Advocate and support other women, mentor young women. This is so critical because they are the most impacted by these decisions that the Trump administration wants to roll out. My generation, generation X, is yes, I found out and I didn't want to know this, but I found out that my generation is the highest percentage that voted for Trump All Gen Xers. It's shocking. They say it's because we drank out of the water hose, we had to be home when the street lights came on and we were basically our own. We took care of ourselves. That's the reason. Well, I was involved in all that and I still didn't vote for Trump, so I don't want to hear the bullshit.

Speaker 1: 32:51

I don't know why my generation decided to come out and vote for this asshole? I have no idea. I have no idea, but there are people that are older. Whether they're a Gen Xer or not, whether they're a boomer, it doesn't really matter. We need to. We are essentially fighting for their rights. So every time I speak, it's not about me, about them, it's about the younger generation. I don't want them to have to suffer because of the decisions of my generation and the generation above me. I don't want that to happen. We're the ones that they need to look to as their leaders to help them navigate what's about to happen, and that means being involved and mentoring them and speaking out and showing them that we're powerful in numbers and we won't let anything happen to them. We're there toe to toe. So important Support female owned businesses and support women in leadership roles.

Speaker 1: 33:56

100% like the video. Leave a comment, leave a review on my podcast. I'll do it for you. Just say hey, would you come? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I will. Yes, I will Speak out against harmful policies and engage in peaceful activism.

Speaker 1: 34:14

My role, my activism, is here. My activism is behind the scenes in the state of Texas, because I'm not. I've decided I'm not going anywhere and, trust me, I put a lot of thought into that. I put a lot of thought in either moving to a blue state or moving out of the country. I made that choice to live here in this state, in this country and at this job for the next three years. For sure I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here fighting with you. So engage in activism in whatever form you feel comfortable in. Just get engaged.

Speaker 1: 34:51

Be prepared for legal and safety concerns. Understand state laws on self-defense and personal safety, such as gun laws. Stand your ground laws and domestic violence protections. Know if my rights if stopped by police or questioned about my preg? Oh, know my rights if I'm stopped by the police or questions about my pregnancy status in restrictive states? God, that is scary. Handmaid's Tale man, that is so freaking scary. How is nobody alarmed? Anyway, if in an abusive situation, search safe exit plans and support networks in advance, you notice we hadn't talked about abusive situations, but NOVA is repeating that. That's the second time. Abusive situations emergencies because they're not going to have protections for women. Get out now while they do. Now. This is my favorite part of the whole thing.

Speaker 1: 35:54

Asking ChatGPT, what states do you feel protect women's rights the most in the USA. Number four Colorado Political representation. Us News and World Reports highlights Colorado for its balanced gender representation in state legislature, with women holding 46% of the seats. Number three Oregon Reproductive rights. The Institution for Women's Policy Research ranks Oregon first Reproductive rights, reflecting strong legal protections and access to services. Go Oregon.

Speaker 1: 36:34

Number two Hawaii Gender equality A 2024 analysis by WalletHub. It places Hawaii at the top for women's equality, considering factors like workplace environment, education, health and political empowerment. I mean, hawaii already looked amazing. Now it's for me. Number one Massachusetts. I had no idea. Okay, let's just, I had no idea. Overall women's well-being according to the Georgetown Institute for Women. According to the Georgetown Institute for Women, peace and Securities 2020 report, this is 2020. Massachusetts ranks highest in women's rights and opportunities, scoring significantly higher, significantly higher than other states. Go Massachusetts.

Speaker 1: 37:32

So, anyway, those are the four states that really protect women's rights and if you were thinking of moving out of your red state or just in general, and you want to protect yourself and your daughter, that's a great place to go. And this was based on politicocom and AP News. Once again, they can't ban them from the White House. Oh my God. Those are some, just some. There's others and we will cover them later.

Speaker 1: 38:01

But I wanted to just wrap it all up in a nice neat bow and say we are in danger. Our rights are in danger. It is so important that we protect ourselves, even if we have women that are fighting against to protect themselves. Like I don't, I don't understand it. I try and I try, and I try to understand how women, how, how women could vote against themselves, why?

Speaker 1: 38:34

Maybe there are some that are voting because they're being forced to vote that way, but when you go into that booth, you do not have to vote that way. You do not have to vote that way. Why are you voting that way? Now is your chance to redeem yourself. If any of these laws are being proposed in your state, it is time to redeem yourself and place a vote for you and know that's exactly what you're doing.

Speaker 1: 39:05

You're voting for you. You're voting for your kids. You're voting for the people that came before you, that protected you, that got you to be able to vote, that got all the things that we have right now D-E-I, d-e-i Workplace equality. Don't overlook me, because I'm a woman. I can do what you can do. History says the man would get the job and that is why they put D-E-I in place for us. Don't go to would get the job, and that is why they put DEI in place for us. Don't go to sleep at the wheel. We need you, we need your vote, we need your voice. This is me really really reaching out. Okay, we can create and facilitate change. Okay, I love you. I want this to be okay and, with your help, it will be. Love you, miss you, bye you.