Keeping Hope Alive

08/03/22 • 30 min

In Shreveport, Louisiana, Hope Medical Group for Women struggles to meet demands as a surge of patients traveling from surrounding states where abortion is banned overwhelms providers. Sabrina*, 38, is one of those patients. A mother of four, Sabrina balances her demanding job, childcare, her teen daughter’s serious heart condition, and financial burdens brought on by the pandemic. Seeking an abortion, she and her military veteran fiancé drive 200 miles to Hope Medical Group in Shreveport to access the healthcare she needs to keep her family afloat. Once there, they are confronted by anti-abortion protestors, a common occurrence that affects the clinic daily, as restrictive abortion bans are implemented in nearby states, and more patients must travel across state lines to seek reproductive healthcare in Louisiana.

Visit CTLpod.com to find out more about the podcast, resources for abortion care, and information on how you can take action.

Thank you to Hope Medical Group for Women Administrator Kathaleen Pittman, Assistant Administrator Staphanie Chaffee, the clinic counselors, patient advocates, nurses, and clinic staff, Dr. Bhavik Kumar, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, and Planned Parenthood. Special thanks to Sabrina*, her family, and all who shared their stories with us.

Some names have been changed to protect identities. Since this episode was recorded, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The changing legal landscape in Louisiana means that some groups in Louisiana are changing or pausing their operations. Go to AbortionFinder.org to get up-to-date information on where to access an abortion. Go to Plan C Pills to learn how to access abortion pills. Check out Planned Parenthood’s Ban Off our Bodies to get involved.

This podcast was brought to you by Population Media Center. Executive Producers are Lisa Caruso and Alex Demyanenko, with Co-Producer Kathleen Bedoya and Associate Producer Dominica Ruelas. This episode was field produced by Joanna Friedman with production services provided by Pidge Productions and story producing by Lynn Hughes and Bruno Falcon. Research assistance was provided by Sarah Field Bullion and production coordinating by June Neely. Impact strategy was led by Charity Tooze. Narration is read by Tatiana St. Phard. Music by Valeri Ortiz.

*Indicates name change

Visit CTLpod.com to find out more about the podcast, resources for abortion care, and information on how you can take action.

*Indicates name change

Previous Episode

God Trusts Me

When a 27 year old single mother from Texas, Ahjonae, finds out she’s pregnant, she searches for abortion care providers across the U.S. to terminate her pregnancy. This is not an easy undertaking as Ahjonae works two full-time jobs, including a hotel graveyard shift, to keep up with the rent and bills. A practicing Christian, she gets the last spot at a Dallas-based travel program run by a local church. This program, organized and funded by a partnership between The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and the Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center, shepherds people to New Mexico to receive abortion care. Despite her hesitancy to trust the volunteers, she takes a sick day from work, and her mother flies to Dallas to watch her three young children, so that Ahjonae can take the journey to Albuquerque.

Visit CTLpod.com to find out more about the podcast, resources for abortion care, and information on how you can take action.

Special thanks to the Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center in Dallas, TX, Southwestern Women’s Options in Albuquerque, NM; Dr. Curtis Boyd and Dr. Glenna Halvorson-Boyd; Reverend Daniel Kanter and The First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Rev Erin Walter, Rev Deneen Robinson, and all the incredible travel program volunteers. Also, thanks to Joan Lamunyon and the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, and Planned Parenthood; And to Ahjonae, her family, and all those who shared their stories with us.

Some names have been changed to protect identities. Since this episode was recorded, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The changing legal landscape in Texas means that some groups in Texas are changing or pausing their operations. Specifically, The Southwest Surgery center in Dallas has been forced to stop providing abortion services until further notice. The clinic will remain open to offer other reproductive healthcare. Also, note that the doctor in this episode uses the abortion pill brand name Mifeprex and later refers to it by the generic name Mifepristone. They are the same drug. If you have questions about abortion pills, go to Abortion Finder.

This podcast was brought to you by Population Media Center. Executive producers are Lisa Caruso and Alex Demyanenko, with co-producer Kathleen Bedoya and associate producer Dominica Ruelas. This episode was field produced by Joanna Friedman with production services provided by Red Cup Agency and story producing by Olivia Aylmer. Research assistance was provided by Sarah Field Bullion and production coordinating by June Neely. Impact strategy was led by Charity Tooze. Narration is read by Tatiana St. Phard. Music by Val Ortiz.

Next Episode

Abortion Desert Oasis

Camelback Family Planning Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona has been operating since 1999, but recently started to receive a surge of abortion-seeking patients due to increased restrictions on reproductive healthcare access in nearby states. The clinic doesn't take appointments - it's first-come, first-serve, with a daily line that extends around the modest brick and glass building. Many mornings, patients line up as early as 4 AM hoping to secure one of that day's walk-in appointments. Samira*, 39, is one of them. A mother of two, Samira left her children at home with her husband to travel on her own from Texas to Arizona to receive an abortion. Although her pregnancy is not viable due to a severe fetal anomaly, her doctor in Texas was not allowed to perform the procedure. Following her ultrasound, Camelback nurses, doctors, and staff take immediate action to get Samira the abortion care she needs.

Visit CTLpod.com to find out more about the podcast, resources for abortion care, and information on how you can take action.

Thank you to Camelback Family Planning Clinic's founder Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick and Dr. Sarah Valliere, Ashleigh Feiring, the clinic nurses, patient advocates, and other Camelback staff, as well as Executive Director of Pro-Choice Arizona, Eloisa Lopez, and Planned Parenthood. Special thanks to Samira*, her family, and all who shared their stories with us. Some names and voices were changed to protect identities.

Since this episode was recorded, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The changing legal landscape in Arizona means that some providers are changing or pausing their operations. Go to AbortionFinder.org to get up-to-date information on where to access an abortion. Go to Plan C Pills to learn how to access abortion pills. Explore National Abortion Funds to inquire about funding support and Planned Parenthood's Ban Off our Bodies to get involved.

This podcast is brought to you by Population Media Center. Executive Producers are Lisa Caruso and Alex Demyanenko, with Co-Producer Kathleen Bedoya and Associate Producer Dominica Ruelas. This episode was field produced by Joanna Friedman with production services provided by Pidge Productions. Production coordination is by June Neely, and Charity Tooze leads impact strategy. Narration is read by Tatiana St. Phard. Original music is composed by Valeri Ortiz.

*Indicates name change