Rev. Rob Schenck: The Faustian Bargain

Explicit content warning

10/29/20 • 39 min

This week we have a very special episode of All Ears. Breaking from our usual format, we’re reacting in real time to the late night swearing in of the latest Supreme Court justice, Amy Coney Barrett. Abby’s guest this week is Reverend Robert Schenck, an evangelical minister and former prominent anti-abortion activist, who for decades was at the center of the conservative efforts to criminalize abortion and strike down Roe v. Wade. To his regret, those efforts came closer to fruition this week with the long-sought manipulation of the nation’s highest court to reflect an extreme conservative tilt. Describing himself now as a “menace” to vulnerable women during his years of activism, Rob has renounced his work as an anti-abortion crusader, admitting that he was part of a group that in 1995 paid Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) to say that she had changed her mind to come out against abortion. For this All Ears, we air a previously unreleased interview from this past summer between Abby and Rob, where they discuss the origin of their unusual friendship five years ago, the process of setting aside political and religious differences, taking emotional risks to build trust, and how Abby’s experience of sharing her own abortion story shifted their friendship and played a part in Rob’s ideological reversal. Then Abby checks in with Rob by phone after Coney Barrett’s installation to the Supreme Court to react and reflect on the moment, and how they plan to move forward, both personally and politically, with hope and action.
Find Rob on Twitter @@RevRobSchenck1
EPISODE LINKS
Vote Common Good The Armor Of Light (dirs. Abigail Disney and Kathleen Hughes)
Costly Grace: An Evangelical Minister's Rediscovery of Faith, Hope, and Love by Rob Schenck
AKA Jane Roe (FX)
Opinion | I Was an Anti-Abortion Crusader. Now I Support Roe v. Wade The New York Times 5/30/19
How a More Conservative Supreme Court Could Impact Environmental Laws Scientific American 9/28/20
The Effects of Stand-Your-Ground Laws RAND Corporation 4/22/20
People of Praise: Inside Group With Reported Ties to Amy Coney Barrett Rolling Stone 9/29/20

Previous Episode

Journalist Maria Hinojosa: I Take My Civic Duty Ridiculously Seriously

This week on All Ears, Abby is joined by Emmy and Peabody-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, whose work on issues that affect the Latinx community has brought her both acclaim and scrutiny. As an intrepid reporter at places like CNN and PBS, as well as the first Latina correspondent at NPR, Hinojosa has long challenged what she sees as the typically inequitable race, gender, and cultural narratives told by these venerable but monolithic institutions. And yet her spirit is unbroken! Hinojosa is a funny, warm, and engaging guest, and she and Abby banter and gossip as well as take on heady topics like immigration reform, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the agenda behind labeling women “angry”. Also, there’s an epic takedown of CNN’s Lou Dobbs you won’t want to miss.
Follow Maria on Twitter: @Maria_Hinojosa
Listen to Maria:
Latino USA is on all podcast platforms and airs on 240 radio stations across the country
In The Thick podcast

EPISODE LINKS

Once I Was You: A Memoir Of Love And Hate In A Torn America
Inside the Former Walmart That Is Now a Shelter for Almost 1,500 Migrant Children (New York Times)
Fact Sheet: US Refugee Resettlement (National Immigration Forum)
The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake (Abby's King Arthur Flour recipe)

Next Episode

Post Election Day Therapy with Anand Giridharadas

Join us this week for an All Ears rapid response to Election Day 2020! Awash in uncertainty the morning after election day, Abby talks with Anand Giridharadas, the journalist whose unsparing criticisms of the liberal establishment have themselves made headlines. Abby and Anand consider Trump’s popularity with voters and why it’s such a bitter pill for liberals to swallow. They talk about how neoliberalism has put mainstream Democratic leaders at risk of losing blue collar workers. Anand says Joe Biden’s two political personas help explain how the party has lost credibility. There is “Scranton Joe” (the small town, working class defender of the little guy) and “Delaware Joe” (the corporate-friendly elite catering to powerful donor constituents). And, although toxic masculinity as modeled by Trump still holds strong, Anand does express hope about how the needle has moved on race, leaving Abby a bit more optimistic than when the conversation started.
Find Anand on Twitter @anandwrites
Sign up Anand's newsletter, The.Ink
EPISODE LINKS
The Sazerac (Cocktail recipe via Bon Appetit)
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, Anand Giridharadas
Democrats And Neoliberalism Vox 6/11/19
Clinton Says Era Of Big Government Is 'over' In 1996 State Of The Union The Washington Post 1/22/14
The Burden Of A 40-year Career: Some Of Joe Biden’s Record Doesn’t Age Well LA Times 3/18/19
How Delaware Thrives As A Corporate Tax Haven New York Times 7/7/12